Letter To My Old Master John Anderson Analysis

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Recommended: Slavery in the late 1700s to early 1800s

According to Jourdon Anderson‘s “Letter To My Old Master” (Anderson, J. 1969), slavery and lingering racism were extreme in the 1800s. The end of the Civil War, however, attempted to address some social concerns of the freed slaves, with efforts to make blacks economically independent. Former slave owners demanded services from their old slaves on personal consent, the promising better treatment. Colonel P.H. Anderson wrote to his former slave Jourdon Anderson requesting Jourdon to return to the plantation to help restore the farm after the disarray of the war. In his response, Jourdon Anderson, having been among the slaves freed by the 13th Amendment and some other means, and now lives in Ohio with his family, addresses several issues of slavery in the America in the 1800s. …show more content…

They were regularly threatened, beaten and even killed. Jourdon faces at least two incidences of shooting threats when his master shot at him. At a point, he was saved by a George from shot by Colonel. Characterized by poor master-servant relationship, there no mutual trust established. When Colonel P.H. promises better treatment to his former slave if he resumed service, Jourdon and Mindy are demand pay for their unpaid services, full with interests, as a proof of promise. Furthermore, plantation owners formerly would not pay slaves. Thus, to Jourdon, money would indicate mutual trust. Nevertheless, slave-owners provided clothing and health-care services. Colonel P.H paid for his servants’ clothing and doctor’s visits (Anderson, J. 1969). Three doctor’s visits during a thirty year service period, however, appear unsatisfactory. Initially, there was no education for the slaves. No school was opened to the colored people in Tennessee. Jourdon is sensitive on this as he is focused on educating his

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