Title
Letter of Jourdon Anderson to P. H. Anderson
Creator
Jourdon Anderson
Description
P. H. Anderson, a planter, wrote his former slave, Jourdon Anderson, who had previously served as a driver or an overseer and escaped during the war, to offer him employment after the war. P. H. Anderson, deep in debt, hoped that his former slave would help to bring in the harvest and convince other former slaves to return and thereby save the plantation. This document presents Jordan Anderson’s reply, dated August 7, 1865. Jourdon Anderson did not return, and P. H. Anderson ultimately lost the plantation.
Source
“Letter from a Freedman to His Old Master,” in The Freedmen’s Book, edited by Lydia Maria Child (Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1866), 265-276; Roy E. Finkenbine, “Letter from Ex-Slave,” February 6, 2012, H-Slavery, accessed March 24, 2013, http://www.h-net.org/~slavery/.
Date
1865-08-07
Questions
- How did Anderson compare slavery with freedom?
- How did Anderson view his former master? Why do you think Anderson wrote the letter to his former master?