What do you notice? What do you wonder? What stood out to me initially about this ad was how the poster of the ad said that his name had been changed. I don't think I had heard of slaves having their names changed before I read this, and it is both fascinating and disturbing. It makes me wonder how many slaves had their names changed and may never have known that the name they were given wasn't their birth name. Another thing that stuck out to me was simply how young he had to have been to not even really know his own mother. From what I thought I knew, children weren't usually separated from their mothers until later on. Hence, it makes me wonder how many children were in fact separated from their mothers and how young children who were separated from their mothers were. It also is a big gap between the time he learned of his real name and mother and the posting of this ad, which makes me wonder how long he really was searching.
Time/Place: This ad was published in 1895, which actually places it about 20 years after reconstruction. That means the ad lies right in the middle of the industrial boom, but also at the same time as Jim Crow laws were rising to prominence in the south. Considering that John Hatter's mother was sold farther south than New York, it makes sense for him to be concerned and want to find her and potentially bring her north. Communication was also expanding in this time, becoming easier to hear from farther away and reach far away places.
Implications/Conclusions: This ad can tell us quite a bit about circumstances around former slaves, and how many of them were learning about themselves and attempting to reach out to their lost families. However, the time between learning of his name and the posting of the ad can be indicative of how long it could take to find family, and a sign that many former slaves likely never reunited with their lost loved ones at all. It also shows how little information former slaves had on their loved ones, and is likely indicative of how many were kept in the dark about their family and even themselves.
In your opinion, what do you think the motivation behind changing slaves names without them knowing was?
Hi Autumn! I also wrote about the significance of the changing names during this time. I believe enslavers benefited from changing the names of enslaved people. By stripping them of a consistent identity and family connection, enslavers turned people into commodities: things to be conveniently relabeled, bought, and sold, rather than human beings with history and tradition.
Hi Autumn, you pose a very interesting question that got me thinking. After reading your analysis and Professor Klann's response to your question I agree that individuals names hold so much value. I also thought that maybe they would change their name so that the slaves would loose their identity. Everything was taken away from slaves, their name was the one thing they had left connecting them to their families, cultures and lives. The slave owners did not want them having a sense of identity and took away their name or even changed it. Great post!
I think their motivation is to highlight their status as slave owners. Changing the slave's name to his family's name means that the slave belongs to them. In addition, I find it sad that slaves do not even have the freedom to have their own names.
Wow, this is a great one. Your analysis makes me think about another level of difficulty Black people must have encountered when trying to get in touch with family members--there was, in many cases a lack of consistency in terms of names and family connections. In answer to your question, I think the motivation behind changing an enslaved person's name was likely power, control, and a lack of respect for individual enslaved peoples' families or histories. Many enslaved people were given the last names of their masters, which would connote ownership over them (or, in the minds of some planters, their "familial" relationship). I'm also fascinated by the fact that Hatter changed his own name as well. There is certainly power in names.