Date: Thursday, March 26, 2009 Time: 6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. (EST)

How did the self-contained environment of a plantation — its layout, buildings, isolation, and use of the land — influence the lives and self-image of the enslaved? What made a plantation "home?" What made a plantation "hell"? How did a slave reconcile "home" and "hell"? What can plantation photographs tell us about plantation life?

LEADER:

John M. Vlach Professor of American Studies George Washington University

• Assigned Readings (19 pages plus images)

  The workshop readings come from the National Humanities Center’s online toolbox The Making of African American Identity: Volume I, 1500–1865. In each case, please read the note, the discussion questions, and the text.

  1. WPA Slave Narratives
     
     • Note and discussion questions
     • The Narrative of Jenny Proctor (PDF)
     • The Narrative of W. L. Bost (PDF)
     • The Narrative of Mary Reynolds (PDF)
  2. Photographs of Green Hill Plantation
     
     • Note and discussion questions
     • Text (PDF)
  3. Enslaved Labor on a Southern Plantation
     
     • Note and discussion questions
     • Text (PDF)
• Seminar Presentation (PowerPoint, 154KB)
• Seminar Evaluation (Available on day of seminar.)
• Forum