Mastering Emotions: Feelings, Power, and Slavery in the United States (America in the Nineteenth Century)

Emotions were central to the ways that slaveholders perpetuated slavery, as well as to the ways that enslaved people survived and challenged bondage and experienced freedom. Mastering Emotions examines the interactions between slaveholders and enslaved people, and between White people and free Black people, to expose how emotions such as love, terror, happiness, and trust functioned as social and economic capital for slaveholders and enslaved people alike.The daily interactions that occurred between slaveholders and enslaved people around emotions, in conjunction with larger debates about race and freedom, form the backbone of what Erin Austin Dwyer calls the emotional politics of slavery. Race and status determined which emotions were permissible or punishable, which should be restrained, and by whom. As a result, mastering emotions, one's ability to control one's own feelings and those of others, was paramount for slaveholders and enslaved. The emotional politics of slavery were thus fashioned by enslaved people and slaveholders together through the crucible of slavery.Emancipation was a seismic shift in the affective landscape of the antebellum South. Though the end of the Civil War rendered moot the debate over how to emotionally maintain slavery, the lingering conflict over whether the emotional strictures governing the South would be based on race or free status had serious repercussions, particularly for free Black people. The postwar rise of legal and extralegal attempts to affectively control free Black people underscored the commitment of elite White Southerners to preserving the power dynamics of the emotional politics of slavery, by any means necessary. Mastering Emotions concludes by detailing how the long-term legacy of those emotional politics reverberated through Reconstruction and the Jim Crow eras.ISBN : 9780812253399

Emotions were central to the ways that slaveholders perpetuatedslavery, as well as to the ways that enslaved people survived andchallenged bondage and experienced freedom. MasteringEmotions examines the interactions between slaveholders andenslaved people, and between White people and free Black people, toexpose how emotions such as love, terror, happiness, and trustfunctioned as social and economic capital for slaveholders andenslaved people alike.

The daily interactions that occurred between slaveholders andenslaved people around emotions, in conjunction with larger debatesabout race and freedom, form the backbone of what Erin Austin Dwyercalls the emotional politics of slavery. Race and status determinedwhich emotions were permissible or punishable, which should berestrained, and by whom. As a result, mastering emotions, one'sability to control one's own feelings and those of others, wasparamount for slaveholders and enslaved. The emotional politics ofslavery were thus fashioned by enslaved people and slaveholderstogether through the crucible of slavery.

Emancipation was a seismic shift in the affective landscape ofthe antebellum South. Though the end of the Civil War rendered mootthe debate over how to emotionally maintain slavery, the lingeringconflict over whether the emotional strictures governing the Southwould be based on race or free status had serious repercussions,particularly for free Black people. The postwar rise of legal andextralegal attempts to affectively control free Black peopleunderscored the commitment of elite White Southerners to preservingthe power dynamics of the emotional politics of slavery, by anymeans necessary. Mastering Emotions concludes by detailinghow the long-term legacy of those emotional politics reverberatedthrough Reconstruction and the Jim Crow eras.

Emotions were central to the ways that slaveholders perpetuated slavery, as well as to the ways that enslaved people survived and challenged bondage and experienced freedom. Mastering Emotions examines the interactions between slaveholders and enslaved people, and between White people and free Black people, to expose how emotions such as love, terror, happiness, and trust functioned as social and economic capital for slaveholders and enslaved people alike. The daily interactions that occurred between slaveholders and enslaved people around emotions, in conjunction with larger debates about race and freedom, form the backbone of what Erin Austin Dwyer calls the emotional politics of slavery. Race and status determined which emotions were permissible or punishable, which should be restrained, and by whom. As a result, mastering emotions, one's ability to control one's own feelings and those of others, was paramount for slaveholders and enslaved. The emotional politics of slavery were thus fashioned by enslaved people and slaveholders together through the crucible of slavery. Emancipation was a seismic shift in the affective landscape of the antebellum South. Though the end of the Civil War rendered moot the debate over how to emotionally maintain slavery, the lingering conflict over whether the emotional strictures governing the South would be based on race or free status had serious repercussions, particularly for free Black people. The postwar rise of legal and extralegal attempts to affectively control free Black people underscored the commitment of elite White Southerners to preserving the power dynamics of the emotional politics of slavery, by any means necessary. Mastering Emotions concludes by detailing how the long-term legacy of those emotional politics reverberated through Reconstruction and the Jim Crow eras. Emotions were central to the ways that slaveholders perpetuated slavery, as well as to the ways that enslaved people survived and challenged bondage and experienced freedom. Mastering Emotions examines the interactions between slaveholders and enslaved people, and between White people and free Black people, to expose how emotions such as love, terror, happiness, and trust functioned as social and economic capital for slaveholders and enslaved people alike.0The daily interactions that occurred between slaveholders and enslaved people around emotions, in conjunction with larger debates about race and freedom, form the backbone of what Erin Austin Dwyer calls the emotional politics of slavery. Race and status determined which emotions were permissible or punishable, which should be restrained, and by whom. As a result, mastering emotions, one's ability to control one's own feelings and those of others, was paramount for slaveholders and enslaved. The emotional politics of slavery were thus fashioned by enslaved people and slaveholders together through the crucible of slavery.0Emancipation was a seismic shift in the affective landscape of the antebellum South. Though the end of the Civil War rendered moot the debate over how to emotionally maintain slavery, the lingering conflict over whether the emotional strictures governing the South would be based on race or free status had serious repercussions, particularly for free Black people. The postwar rise of legal and extralegal attempts to affectively control free Black people underscored the commitment of elite White Southerners to preserving the power dynamics of the emotional politics of slavery, by any means necessary. Mastering Emotions concludes by detailing how the long-term legacy of those emotional politics reverberated through Reconstruction and the Jim Crow eras Cover Mastering Emotions Title Copyright Dedication CONTENTS Introduction. The Emotional Politics of Slavery Chapter 1. “To Change Their Sentiments” Chapter 2. “Born and Reared in Slavery” Chapter 3. “The Pursuit of Happiness” Chapter 4. “Breach of Confidence” Chapter 5. “Fear No Lash, nor Worse” Chapter 6. “Enjoying Freedom” Epilogue. “The Sentiment Left by Slavery Is Still with Us” Notes Selected Bibliography Index Acknowledgments