"They Were Her Property" is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn the true history of slavery in America and white women's role in it.
Slavery in America was brutal and it was not only white men that upheld and benefitted from it. It was a business and black bodies were property.
We are taught in American culture and schools that white women are just victims of white men’s activities rendering them helpless and not culpable or complicit in their role of slavery and in upholding white supremacy, which is false. To gaslight the public and on the flip side to live in denial as a white woman is not healthy. We need to be told true history and not propaganda.
"They Were Her Property" by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers is a groundbreaking exploration of the often-overlooked role of white women in American slavery. Dispelling the myth of white women as passive bystanders in the slaveholding system, Jones-Rogers meticulously examines primary source documents to reveal the active participation of white women as slave owners and traders in the antebellum South.
Jones-Rogers challenges the traditional narrative that portrays white women solely as victims of male dominance, highlighting instead their agency and economic empowerment through slave ownership. Drawing on a wealth of evidence, including testimonials from formerly enslaved individuals and historical records of slave transactions, she demonstrates that white women were integral to the functioning of the slave market and actively engaged in the buying, selling, and management of enslaved people.
The book delves into the complex dynamics of power within plantation households, where white women wielded authority over enslaved individuals and often perpetrated acts of cruelty. Jones-Rogers dismantles the myth of the "gentle mistress" and exposes the harsh realities of life under female slaveholders.
Moreover, "They Were Her Property" sheds light on the economic motivations behind white women's involvement in slavery, illustrating how slave ownership served as a means of accumulating wealth and maintaining financial independence. Jones-Rogers argues that white women strategically navigated legal loopholes to retain control over their enslaved labor force, even in the face of challenges from their husbands.
In her analysis, Jones-Rogers also examines the post-Civil War period, revealing how former slave-owning women sought to perpetuate the legacy of slavery through coercive labor contracts and romanticized depictions of the antebellum South. Through meticulous research and incisive analysis, she exposes the complicity of white women in upholding the institution of slavery and perpetuating its legacies of oppression and inequality.
In conclusion, "They Were Her Property" is a groundbreaking work that challenges conventional narratives of American slavery and highlights the overlooked role of white women as active participants in the exploitation and commodification of human beings. Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers' meticulous scholarship and compelling narrative make this book essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of power, race, and gender in the history of the United States.
"They Were Her Property" is available on Amazon and Audible.
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