Freedom Papers Response...

The theme that resonated with me most in Rebecca Smith’s Freedom Papers : An Atlantic Odyssey in the Age of Emancipation was that of identity. It quickly became apparent that for those of African descent, resistance and oppression were both tangible possibilities within this space. The ability to define that space however was allotted solely by those in power. In chapter one when referencing the indigenous groups involved in the Atlantic slave trade, Scott shows us the malleability of identity through the European system used to name these groups. She states “The system of designation rested on flexible and to some extent imaginary European geography of Africa, one that assigned specific characteristics to particular groups, who were in turn associated with loosely defined places (Loc 183).” This is why the Senegalese could be referred to as “superior slaves”, without using any substantial evidence to support this claim. In the eyes of slave traders, the label “Senegalese” made a slave more appealing simply because of the characteristics associated with the name. Unlike whites, the racial and national identity for Africans was in constant flux, and was contingent upon region and time period, as evident with lineage of Rosalie.

What was most interesting were the categories Africans could be associated with and what those categories embodied. Whether it be free/slave, creole/ mulatto/black, or even who they identified with nationally, all of which were in some way legitimized by whiteness. Whiteness  had the power to grant personhood to certain groups while denying  it for others.  For example, the stigmatized term  “affranchi” was considered to be very disrespectful because it referenced someone who was formally enslaved, while the term “personne de color” affirmed personhood. In some cases, the stigmatization of Blackness transcended all terms, and the social hierarchy only reflected the binary of “whiteness” and the “antithesis of whiteness”. This is why Rosalie was apprehensive about voyaging to New Orleans out of fear of being viewed as a slave despite her manumission. Or how it was possible for Marie Francoise Bayot  to be a free woman but denied the opportunity to marry her white partner Louis Dehart and receive substantial property because she was prohibited by the 1825 Civil Code. Even the possibility that generations later, on one occasion Edouard Tinchant and his wife could be perceived as “white” by the Louisiana census, and on another kicked out of a street car because he was a Black speaks to this. All of these examples reflect the inconsistencies of identity politics for those oppressed when they are not in a position to define them.

Overall I thought Rebecca Smith did an excellent job of demonstrating the flawed premise of race. Using the lineage of Rosalie, she shows us that the foundation of autonomy and personhood is rooted in the ability to define who you are. Using the contrast of experiences between Rosalie and her descendants, it is apparent that identity politics, and the variables associated with identity shape the Black experience whether or not it is acknowledged.