Grammarian Readers, I Need Your Help…

I need help from the grammarians of the blog world (as grammar is my Achilles heel).  If you are trustworthy and have some extra time, leave me a comment and some way to contact you and I will forward you this splendid encyclopedia entry I put together on slave patrols.  Let me know whatever errors you might see.  I also appreciate any suggestions on content, as this is written for an encyclopedia directed towards college students and other non-specialists.

07-25-2007 (A Full Day)

Here is an example of an average day during the typical Two Week Total Transformation. I have also included plenty of links and info for those interested in starting their own stretching or running programs.

7:15 –Stretch. About 10-15 minutes is great for your mind, body, and spirit. I am amazed at how much better my day goes when I start off with a good stretch. It is the small things that change. Your steps seem lighter, picking up those keys you dropped on the floor is easier, and simple twists and turns are easier on the back. The Mayo Clinic offers some great examples (with pictures) for those of us who need the visuals.

As the Deadline Approaches I Sit Here Uninspired…

Well, I am due to turn in my encyclopedia entry on slave patrols on August 1.  The only problem is that I can’t find my muse.  I have written four drafts, all of which I’ve torn up (figuratively since I am using Word) and thrown away (deleted).  Which stinks since most of them were near complete but they weren’t quite what I wanted to write.  The topic of slave patrols is so large and I only have 750 words to express all I want to say.  This is driving me crazy.

So I guess I need to pray, focus real hard, block all outside distractions (dog, radio, etc.) and just sit here till I either starve, go insane, or write the perfect entry.  I am hoping that the third option happens first.  Although, while in law school I came pretty close to the first and second taking place all too often.

My Heritage, My Academic Future, and My Medical History…

Well let’s start with the big news. I am black– well part black. My opinion on reparations has changed overnight. Not only that, but now I can tell black jokes without feeling guilty.

It turns out my father’s great-great-grandfather was a former slave turned notable layman astronomer. I am currently researching this to confirm or deny it. What an interesting thing to learn about my family’s history.

An Amazing Advertisement…

Even as a boring researcher who spends days on end in dusty old archives, every now and again something shocks you. I came across this ad not long into my research regarding runaway slaves in Eastern North Carolina. [The full size image can be found below the page break].

Why is an old advertisement so shocking and interesting? The above advertisement’s five simple (although surprisingly verbose) paragraphs are short hand for a much larger and even more interesting tale. Their story includes enslavement, betrayal, yearning for freedom, fatherhood, rebellion, courage, anger, and half a dozen other compelling emotional angles that should perk the ears and tug at the heart.

Beyond that, the characters are laid out in a detailed manner (considering the space allowed for an advertisement), but in such a way that you are left desiring to know more about them.

I am Opening a New Blog…

I needed an outlet for my historical blogging needs so I opened a new blog here at WordPress at

http://thehistorydump.wordpress.com

I didn’t want to bore all those who check my blog for weight loss advice with long discussions of slavery and slave patrols.  So if you are interested swing on by  and leave a few comments.

Here is a copy of the inaugural post on my new blog…

White Honor, Black Lives: North Carolina Courts and the Insolence Defense

Here are some excerpts from a graduate level paper I wrote a few years ago. The first part is merely restating the position of other scholars (proving I understood their work), the second part is my original work in reviewing and analyzing several North Carolina Supreme Court decisions regarding slaves, free blacks, white men, white women, and the theme that tied it all together- honor.

Here are a few excerpts. The full paper can be found in Word format file linked at the bottom of this post. Citations have been omitted from this posting and can be found in the complete paper provided below.

Why couldn’t slaves possess honor?

Four reasons explain the perception of slaves as beings without honor. First, plantation life led many whites to view blacks as hopelessly depraved and indifferent to correction. Second, laws enacted by the legislature created a wall that kept slaves from acquiring the ability to meet the requirements of the duel and honor. Third, “scientific” literature on race fed into white beliefs that blacks lacked the capacity of bearing honor, from their flat noses to their skin color. Lastly, the peculiar institution required total submission from slaves. If slaves had been granted honor it would have required the reciprocal ability to defend that honor— an ability that would have proved dangerous to the system itself.

Trying To Finish A New Article…

Well, it is a rewrite of a section of my thesis.  I tweaked it a bit (well a lot) to fit into a scholarly journal- I am thinking the North Carolina Historical Review (NCHR).  I will be posting a rough draft in the coming week or so.

So all of you who like that kind of stuff set aside some time in your schedule to give it a read.  🙂

What is Slavery?

I am presenting for your enjoyment a PowerPoint presentation on slavery I created last year for a course on teaching at the college level. Some of its contents might surprise you. Let me know what you think.

Most of all I want to know if you learned anything knew? Did it challenge anything you thought you knew? What do you think it was missing? Or anything else that might be on your mind.

Just click the below link/file.

What is Slavery

Please Help me Answer a Question…

I have recently accepted an offer to write an entry for a new encyclopedia series written for undergraduates on the Early American Republic.  But before I write this, I am kind of curious what average folks (my readers) think.

What do you know about slave patrols?  I don’t care if your read it, heard it, or are simply making a wild guess.  Post a comment about what you think slave patrols were, who served in them, etc.

Thanks for your help.