Question

To what extent do the slave rules in the journal of Bennet Barrow indicate a concern for productivity (producing a large amount of good quality cotton) rather than strictly paternalism (demonstrating the superiority of one's decision making over dependents)? Paternalism: Behavior or attitudes of superiority over another person or persons; denying some (or all) liberty or autonomy of those "inferior" persons while believing it is in their best interest. View the background video and read the Bennet Barrow journal sources. Note evidence in Barrow's Highland Plantation Rules and his diary that suggest his interest in creating an environment where the slave would be more productive and other evidence of his primarily controlling slaves to maintain his paternal control. In the Concepts and Evidence Chart, list 2 concepts that support productivity and 2 that support paternalism and list several pieces of evidence under each.

Answer 1

Productivity:

Concept: Bennet Barrow explains that he punishes the slaves for not picking the cotton correctly because it causes the quality of the cotton to be less. He believes that if he whips the slave for this mistake that they will not do it again and the quality of the cotton will be better.

Evidence: “whipped 8 or 10 for weight today, those that pick least weights, generally most trash (meaning not picking the cotton without dried leaves, sticks, etc.)”

Productivity:

Concept: This is an example of productivity from the “Rules for Highland Plantation”. Barrow states that the plantation will operate successfully if all of its parts (slaves) are working as they should be. If the slaves are working the plantation as they should be, the amount of good quality cotton will increase.

Evidence: “A plantation might be considered as a piece of machinery, to operate successfully, all of its parts should be uniform and exact, and the impelling force regular and steady [punishment]. And the master, if he pretended at all to attend to his business, should be their impelling force.”