Book Description

Excerpt from Bond and Free: A Tale of the South Upon relating incidents which occurred under the observation of the writer, the suggestion has been frequently made to her that they should be recorded in a book, and placed within the reach of those who are interested in studying the habits of the Southern people before the late war. This volume is presented to the public in compliance with that request, since slavery is now so far removed from us by time that it has become historical. The contingencies of "the peculiar institution" invaded the domestic circle, made children masters and mistresses from infancy, causing them to be reared rulers over their sable playmates, and impressed on their unfolding minds ideas of superiority in. birth, which, as they advanced to manhood or womanhood, qualified them to exercise authority to a degree inconceivable by those raised with different surroundings. That miscegenation was of frequent occurrence is not to be denied; but mulatto children, being held by their darker mothers, were identified with the maternal race; yet there were instances where amalgamation was extended to successive generations, and State laws were enacted liberating those who possessed a certain degree of consanguinity with the Caucasian race. In the slave markets, among which that of New Orleans was pre-eminent, quadroon girls, possessing superior personal attractions, commanded a high price; and in exceptional instances, where they were received into families, and enjoyed advantages of mental and moral education, they became women of intelligence and sterling worth. Our heroine is not a myth. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.