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Selling Poor Steven by Philip Burnham: review
Native American history (military, public, etc) and other American minorities have been the central focus of freelance journalist/historian Philip Burnhams work. Authoring several books as well as articles that have appeared in publications such as American Heritage, The Washington Post, Emerge, Transition, and Indian Country Today, his work most importantly reflects a flair for shedding light on often forgotten and less well known historical groups. Burnhams article Selling Poor Steven discusses an unsavory period in American history slavery. It is not the slave or the typical white slave-owners that is the focal point but rather a forgotten and fair to say unimaginable antebellum American class the black slave owner.
The title derives from a particular incident involving black slave owners, William Johnson and Steven, a slave he purchased for $455.00. Although attached to Steven, Johnson cannot deal with his excessive drinking and sells him for $ 600.00. This story is one of a multitude of stories Burnham extrapolated from various letters, diaries, and public records which he describes offer fascinating glimpses into the lives of antebellum black slaveowners. (pg. 67 ) Whether it was for humanitarian/familial purposes or pure and simple greed, Burnhams thesis revolves around the assertion that slavery from the vantage point of the black slaver owner was just as complex an institution for themas they grappled with economic forces and social realitiesas it was for whites (pg. 70 ). Burnhams use of the diaries, personal letters, etc. which contain detailed information, by all means, substantiates his thesis.
History is the mechanism through which the human experience is put into perspective past, present, and future. History assists in understanding past tragedies as well triumphs and is a tool to measure success and failure. Without knowledge of the past, mankind cannot live a successful life.
History is a measuring rod to ascertain natural feelings and desires how one thinks. The essential key to understanding the importance of history is who the authors are and what is their agenda. Are they committed to truth or have they put their personal spin/slant on it and for what reason? Precise, informative, and fact-based Burnhams article attests to being committed to truth and examining a horrific and monumental phase in American history. Black slaveowners still functioned within a paradigm rooted in racism which purports that race is the primary determining factor of human capacities and traits and such racial differences have made a particular race more superior to another. Race is defined as the categorization of humans into groups/ populations based on visible physical characteristic traits skin color, facial features, hair texture, etc. and self-identification. Their struggles and torment, Burnham alleges were further compounded by the fact that they lived in a quasi-freedom state in which despite their so-called improved legal status&.free people of color still experienced many of the same difficulties that slaves did (pg. 64). The determining factor was still racism.
In my opinion, Burnham leaves it to the reader to make his or her assessment. His ultimate objective in Selling Poor Steven is to shed light on Selling Poor Steven which examines the paradoxical state of black slave owners and its complexities. To some, the article could be equaled to trivia and/or to others enlightening and informative. His intentions could easily be misconstrued by close-minded individuals be they white or black. Suffice to say, at the core of his thesis is that the plight of black slave owners reminds us that however much we may generalize, the experience of individuals ranges from the heights of human compassion to the depths of profound greedand all variations therein (pg. 70 ). Whatever Burnhams intentions were, conscious or non-conscious, it remains true that controversy, from a social, religious, political, and scientific perspective race, continues to resonate around the issue of race/racism and its offspring slavery.
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