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TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE HISTORY AND LEGACY OF SLAVERY IN MARYLAND (Final Report) 1999/12/31 MdHR 991422 MdHR 991422, Image No: 363 Print image (77K) |
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TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE HISTORY AND LEGACY OF SLAVERY IN MARYLAND (Final Report) 1999/12/31 MdHR 991422 MdHR 991422, Image No: 363 Print image (77K) |
| The history of African-Americans in the United States and especially on the lower Shore of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia (Delmarva) is scanty due to the absence of adequate written documentation. Inadequate documentation renders the history of African-Americans almost non-existent, or invisible, according to most historical standards, which makes it quite difficult to observe the behavior or social organization of blacks or any group of people in society. As a consequence, the few documents which do exist must be painstakingly examined in an attempt to reconstruct the past. And an examination of those few documents reveals that they were written not by the slave, by free blacks, freedmen, or African-Americans, but about him or her. Therefore, a majority of what African-Americans felt, believed, did, or were concerned with was not recorded. It is with that view in mind that this introductory book is dedicated. A wise person once stated that you cannot know where you are going if you don't know from whence you have come. This book is designed to help fill the void of African-American history on the Shore. It will hopefully spark an interest in the accomplishments of some famous, not-so-famous, and even some infamous African-Americans who left an impact upon the lower Eastern Shore, the United States of America, and the world. This is by no means an exhaustive study, it is merely designed to make people aware that the Shore produced more than just slaves; that it was supposedly known for being mild on slaves and slavery, but it also produced some of the most famous abolitionists and conductors on the Underground Railroad; produced one of the first African-American inventors; produced the first black nationalist; the first African-American female to serve in a state legislature; the first recorded instance of an African-American who owned a vast amount of land in Colonial America, as well as owned a slave; and numerous other firsts. In short, this area has a rich, virtually untapped history, and this book is merely an attempt to proclaim, or begin to dialogue about, its rich heritage. A philosopher once said that he who does not know his past is destined to repeat it. At this critical juncture in American history, and race relations as they are, we can ill afford to lose another generation to ignorance about their heritage. Many residents of the lower Shore believe that they have no history or anything to be proud of, or simply that African-Americans never accomplished anything of consequence, other than to have existed as slaves. With recent research and a better understanding of the history and culture of the area, hopefully, many myths will be dispelled, and maybe replaced with a sense of pride, self-respect, and self-esteem, especially among teenagers and the young adult generation. Clara L. Small Associate Professor of History Salisbury State University January 1998 |