The Plantation Books
On-Line Primary Source Project
Main Index Page for Student Translations
created by Mr.
Foley - Urbana Middle
School - Urbana, IL
click here
to view the lesson plan that goes along with this unit
Notes about the book:
The Plantation Books that you will view on this website were copied from originals at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. They originally belonged to James Henry Hammond, who was a wealthy, racist, landowner from South Carolina.
CLICK HERE TO READ A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF JAMES HENRY HAMMOND
CLICK HERE TO READ HAMMOND'S FAMOUS "MUDSILL THEORY" SPEECH
For each page that we are using from the Plantation Books I have included a small picture of the original, and a translation. If you click this small picture you can see a larger version which you should be able to read fairly easily. I (Mr. Foley) have done my best to translate the words exactly as they appear on the original pages - including misspellings and grammatical mistakes.
When you see words highlighted in the translations you can click on the word to find a definition of the word (you may have to search through several definitions to find the right one).
Warnings:
The Plantation Books are not easy to read. They can be difficult to understand. They can also be difficult for some students to handle emotionally. These pages are offensive. But they are offensive because Slavery itself was offensive. It is my belief that we can better understand the tragey of American Slavery by studying these books. However, if you do not want to be exposed to these primary sources please let me know immediately and I will give you a separate assignment to work on.
These Books are primary sources from the Silver Bluff & Vandyke Plantations in South Carolina. Therefore they are not representative of all plantations in the south. Some plantations had harder, more cruel rules than these plantations. Some had more humane rules. Remember - these books are not a representation of how every plantation was run.
Let's Begin:
Students - Use your notes sheet to take good notes as you explore the pages below. You can return to this page at any time during your exploration of the Plantation Books - just click "Return to Index".Click one of the words below to see the page:
Overseer Instructions: (all pages include translations)The Management of "Negroes"Directions for the Overseer (2 pages)
Rules for Slaves: (no pages are translated)
Hours (2 pages)Allowances (food, tobacco, etc.) (4 pages)
Clothing (2 pages)
Marriage (2 pages)
Children (2 pages)
Confinement (Pregnancy) (3 pages)
Sickness (2 pages)