User:WinnPM521/Benjamin Johnson

-Overview-

Benjamin Johnson was interviewed by Geneva Tonsill in association with the Federal Writers’ Project. The interview took palace in September of 1939.

-Biography-

Benjamin Johnson, or Uncle Ben, as he was referred to, was born into slavery in 1843 in Troupe County, Georgia. Ben was raised by a woman of extremely strong Christian faith, and the apple did not fall far from the tree. As a child, Ben quickly rose to be a leader among the other slaves on the cotton plantation he was born on. This meant he had a closer relationship with the slave owners, specifically the “master” himself. At the time of the Civil War, the slave owner went to fight for the Confederacy in Danville, Virginia and brought Ben along with him. Ben was on the battlefield listening to the cannons and gunfire, praying that his master would be safe. He was stationed in a first aid tent, and as bullets ripped through the tent, Ben laid on the ground with his hands on his head. Even though he was fighting to keep Ben and his family in bondage, Ben loved his master anyways. This was the perfect way to describe Uncle Ben based on the descriptions of the people that he was close to in his life. Ben was shot in the hand during the war, and his master’s leg was shot off. After a Union victory, the union soldiers told Ben to return to his plantation and spread the news of their newfound freedom. When Ben returned to the plantation, he married his wife, Emma, and he and his family moved to Atlanta on foot. Benjamin, his wife, his father, mother, and two brothers all made the three-day-long trek to Atlanta in order to find a fresh start. Benjamin describes himself walking right up to the first man he saw and asking for a place to stay. The man, Captain Fuller, offered his entire family a house and his wife cooked them all food. They did not charge rent and allowed the Johnsons to stay for six months until Ben was able to pay for their own house using his money he made as a plasterer. Uncle Ben and his family lived the rest of their lives in Atlanta and continued to give praise to God for all they had been given until the day they died.

-Social Context-

Slavery in the State of Georgia

Slavery was the backbone of economic success in the South during the 19th century. The South had not transitioned to a more urban-based economy, and because of this, slavery was relied upon by wealthy slave owners in order to make money. The problem was that there was no rush to shift from the agriculturally based economy due to the fact that slaves were free labor. The institution of slavery led to the severe mistreatment of African Americans in the South and showed a truly dark side of America. Specifically, in the state of Georgia, slaves were discriminated against more than most other states. For example, the rate of slave deaths due to master brutality was almost five percent higher in the state of Georgia than the rest of the southern states, which is an extremely significant statistic because of how generally low death was from slave owners. When slavery was eventually abolished with the passage of the 13th Amendment, black people in the United States had to make a shift in lifestyle that was completely unprecedented for the times.

Discriminatory Laws in the South

The trouble did not stop when slavery was abolished, as racism does not go away overnight. There were many discriminatory laws that were put in place to specifically prevent African Americans from integrating into a normal society that did not affect white people at the time. Jim Crow laws are the most famous example, as they affected black people in the south for decades. These laws affected African Americans when it came to voting, but also everyday life such as going to restaurants. The idea of “separate but equal” was put into place, and while the facilities for black people and white people were separate, they were by no means equal. It was not until the 1930s that Benjamin Johson received his first federal aid, which even he was surprised by in his old age.

-Bibliography-

Phillips, Jennifer. “Slave Life during the Civil War.” Slave Life during the Civil War, Emancipation of Enslaved African Americans, African American Identity: Vol. I, 1500-1865, Primary Resources in U.S. History and Literature, Toolbox Library, National Humanities Center. Toolbox Library. Accessed March 31, 2021. http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/emancipation/text5/text5read.htm. “Slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed March 31, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/place/Rome-Georgia. “Slavery in Antebellum Georgia.” New Georgia Encyclopedia. Accessed April 1, 2021. https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/slavery-antebellum-georgia. Gahistory. “Pre-Revolutionary Slavery.” Georgia Historical Society. Accessed April 1, 2021. https://georgiahistory.com/education-outreach/online-exhibits/online-exhibits/encounter-and-exchange/a-new-encounter-black-slaves-in-georgia/pre-revolutionary-slavery/. “Slavery in the American South.” Constitutional Rights Foundation. Accessed April 1, 2021. https://www.crf-usa.org/black-history-month/slavery-in-the-american-south#:~:text=The%20lives%20of%20black%20people,sell%20things%20without%20a%20permit.