Ancestors Of Worthy Life: Plantation Slavery And Black Heritage At Mount Clare Project Muse Upcc Books

Despite the contributions of enslaved African Americans to our country's economy, culture, and history, records of their existence are all but expunged from plantation sites, which are reluctant to show and interpret the homes and lives of the enslaved. One such site is Mount Clare near Baltimore, Maryland, where Teresa Moyer's work examines the lives of the plantation's enslaved and investigates the issues keeping these findings from being publicly presented. In this balanced discussion of racialized practice at historic site museums, Moyer presents a rich and contextualized study of the inextricably entangled lives of the enslaved, free blacks, and white landowners. She demonstrates that inclusive interpretation of plantation and other historic house museum sites can be done. Moyer argues that the inclusion of enslaved persons in the history of these sites would honor those "ancestors of worthy note," make the social good of public history available to African Americans, and address systemic racism in America. Recognizing the lives of the enslaved at the historic site of Mount ClareEnslaved African Americans helped transform the United States economy, culture, and history. Yet these individuals'identities, activities, and sometimes their very existence are often all but expunged from historically preserved plantations and house museums. Reluctant to show and interpret the homes and lives of the enslaved, many sites have never shared the stories of the African Americans who once lived and worked on their land. One such site is Mount Clare near Baltimore, Maryland, where Teresa Moyer pulls no punches in her critique of racism in historic preservation.In her balanced discussion, Moyer examines the inextricably entangled lives of the enslaved, free Black people, and white landowners. Her work draws on evidence from archaeology, history, geology, and other fields to explore the ways that white privilege continues to obscure the contributions of Black people at Mount Clare. She demonstrates that a landscape's post-emancipation history can make a powerful statement about Black heritage. Ultimately she argues that the inclusion of enslaved persons in the history of these sites would honor these'ancestors of worthy life,'make the social good of public history available to African Americans, and address systemic racism in America.Publication of the paperback edition made possible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. America Plantation Sites Are Reluctant To Show And Interpret The Homes And Lives Of The Slaves That Used To Reside There In Times Of Slavery. Mount Clare Is One Such Site And Teresa Moyer Examines The Lives Of Its Former Slaves And The Issues Keeping These Findings Hidden. Raising Questions About How Race Continues To Affect The Decisions Made At Historic Sites, Moyer Discovers That Slaves At Mount Clare Adopted The Ceremonies Of Their Owners While Still Exercising Their Freedoms Of Family And Homeland Culture. Introduction -- Slavery And Iron At Georgia -- The Creation Of Mount Clare -- Slavery And Revolution -- White Widowhood -- Manumission And Freedom -- A Broader History -- Conclusion. Teresa S. Moyer ; Foreword By Paul A. Shackel. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.