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Letter to Ziba B. Oakes, February 26, 1855

F. Sumter, an enslaver in Sumterville, South Carolina, wrote this letter to Ziba B. Oakes, a slaver from Charleston, South Carolina.
Author
F. Sumter
Grade Level
6-8 9-12

This text is part of the Teaching Hard History Text Library and aligns with Key Concepts 2, 4, 5 and 8.

letter

Sumterville, Feb. 26, 55 

Dear Sir, 

If Clarissa advertised by you a cook & washer is not sold, please inform me by return mail, of her age color and if a breeding woman, if she has had children or miscarried, & her cash price.

I will answer by return mail, if I will come down. Please add any other particular temperament. 

Mr. Z. B. Oakes 

Charleston 

Source
This text is in the public domain. Retrieved from https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:5q47sh67f.
Text Dependent Questions
  1. Question
    Why was Sumter interested as to whether Clarissa “had children or miscarried”? What does this imply about why Sumter sought to purchase her?
    Answer
    Sumter is most interested in if Clarissa would serve him well as what he calls in the letter a “breeding woman.” In other words, Sumter is interested in Clarissa’s ability not only to cook and wash on his plantation, but also to produce more enslaved persons by having children. This is why he is interested in finding out about her fertility.
  2. Question
    Why do you think Sumter was interested in Clarissa’s “color” based on your answer to the prior question? What does this show us about Sumter and what he was trying to achieve as an enslaver?
    Answer
    The fact that Sumter asks about Clarissa’s “color” in addition to her fertility implies that Sumter had a certain vision for the enslaved children he sought to be produced on his plantation. He wanted a specific type of enslaved woman to act as a breeder in order to produce the type of enslaved children he desired.
  3. Question
    What does Sumter’s final line inquiring about Clarissa’s “temper” demonstrate about enslaved persons?
    Answer
    It demonstrates that “temper” or behavior was an important aspect in the minds of enslavers while purchasing enslaved persons. It also sheds light into the prevalence and importance of resistance by enslaved persons to the system even through their behavior, making “temper” something that Sumter was concerned about.
  4. Question
    What are the implications of Sumter’s use of the word “advertised”?
    Answer
    Sumter’s use of the word “advertised” captures the economic side of enslavement and slave trading—it demonstrates the presence of capitalism, commercialism, marketing, etc. based on a commodity that was human beings.
Reveal Answers
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