Enslaved persons in jails and runaways provide underlying evidence of the scope, breadth and magnitude of wholesale defiance against and resistance to the system of chattel enslavement and plantation psychological institutionalization (plantationization).

A thorough examination of the vast amount of in jail and runaway enslaved persons cited in extant newspapers advertisements, periodicals, hand bills, publications, narratives and archival probate, criminal and courthouse records, wills and diaries of whites, military records, (especially Uncivil War), Native, African and European Americans oral stories, family genealogy and so on presents the evidence.

It becomes crystal-clear that defiance and resistance on the part of chattel-enslaved persons was constant and determined, expanding across several centuries. 

The constant defiance against and resistance to the system of chattel enslavement captivity and psychological mind conditioning (plantationization) should not be tied solely to freedom from slavery as an end to the means.

Plantationization is defined as the psychological conditioning, breeding and raising process applied to chattel enslaved persons and non-enslaved mulattoes of white men until the desired beliefs and social behavior apparently manifests in Willie Lynch like syndrome of subhuman control and production (“Let’s Make a Slave”). 

Such defiance and resistance are pillars of complete non-surrendering of the humanity and traditional freedom and independence heritage of African people before the European invasions into Africa.

Aluta continua and “the struggle continues.”

Running away and being in jail were not the only methods chattel enslaved and most non-enslaved (so-called free persons of color) Africans and their descendants in America(s) constantly used to resist and defy being enslaved or subjugated, however, these two methods were well documented and provide undeniable proof of such Deep Southwest resistance and defiance.

Volumes and volumes of books, periodicals, essays, stories, documents, movies, plays, dissertations, thesis and reports, anniversaries and holidays, annual ceremonies and such have and do commemorate the history and legacies of enslaved persons’ notable actions of resistance and defiance against chattel enslavement and plantationization, as well as escapes to freedom from physical captivity and or socio-economic and political bondage.

These voluminous amounts of information speaks of enslaved persons’ revolts, rebellions, insurrections, conspiracies, uprisings, killings of white people (probably some blacks too), escapes regardless if over ground or underground. If thrown together, this data becomes part of the pattern of an enslaved non-enslaved African people’s history and legacy of defiance and resistance against the system of enslavement and the institutions of plantationization and white supremacy domination with its racism modus of operation.

The extant runaways and being in jail advertisements in newspapers dating back a few centuries ago and now preserved on micro film as well as those documents in archival storage, military records, narratives, diaries and etc. when combined, show and tell the defiant and resistance heart and spirit story of a whole African people comparatively.

Certainly enslaved and non-enslaved persons methods that resulted in work slow down, stoppage and property breakage compounded the above methods. Additional defiance and resistance methods were setting of fire to buildings, fields-crops and harvested crops, fainting of sickness, deliberate adult and child mutilations, lying, stealing, and suicide.

They fooled “ole massa” by shuffling, dancing, and singing, grinning, scratching and making the best of bad situations. Enslaved women reluctantly submitted to one sided sexual predator relationships. 

Many enslaved folk concealed their plans for escaping by faking Christian conversion and practice.  Some put poison and grounded up glass in the food of their enslavers. Others endured whippings and refused breeding mates chosen for them by their enslavers.

Most important for their collective survival they continued to practice their institutional African traditions relative to their motherland language, spiritual/science (trance and conjuring work), herbal medicine, agricultural cultivation and food preparation, family development, child rearing, African God identity, communalism, funeral and burial ceremonies, elders and ancestral reliance, chanting and responding communications.

They applied their craft, music and art technologies in the form of different products, instruments, dance and music. Most of all, they most certainly refused to surrender what might be termed their African spiritual self-healing power.

The abundance of extant records in Mississippi River counties and parishes citing runaway and jailed enslaved persons provides a definite, consistent, clear, demonstrative and pronounced pattern and benchmark measurement for understanding the level of defiance against and resistance to the system of enslavement in the Deep Southwest.

In the main, the runaway and in jail Mississippi River counties and parishes advertisements in and of themselves provide an overwhelming and insightful pattern as to how extensive was enslaved persons resistance to and defiance against the system of enslavement throughout the Deep South.

Nineteenth century newspapers published in Mississippi River cities and towns were littered with advertisements of enslavers in the hunt for their runaway or absconded enslaved persons. Sheriffs and jailors advertisements constantly reflected large numbers of enslaved persons held in their jails up and down the Mississippi River.

This research project focused only on the newspapers, narratives and other documents showing on the river or along the river escapes, sanctuaries and in jail activities of enslaved persons. The focus was even narrower because an abundance of the citations did not mention the Mississippi River specifically and therefore not selected for this research compilation. Had this compilation report included just all the enslaved populations listed in jails, the pages of this report would be beyond extensive.

Thus, a sampling of in jail and runaway advertisements and escape narratives, articles and stories of revolts, upraising, rebellions, maroons, conspiracies and Uncivil War enslaved persons self-emancipations in and around certain cities and towns are included here. They provide a definite, consistent, clear, demonstrative and pronounced pattern and benchmark measurement of the level of defiance against and resistance to the system of enslavement in the Deep Southwest.

An ample sampling of advertisement about in jail and runaway enslaved persons were taken from nineteenth century newspapers published in the following Mississippi River west and east banks cities, counties and parishes. Memphis, Vicksburg, Natchez, Woodville, Baton Rouge and New Orleans on the east bank and Little Rock and Chicot County in Arkansas, Concordia, Plaquemine and Iberville parishes on the west bank.

A more extensive collection and compilation of extant materials and information into a major data-base and a thorough analysis and comparison of the dynamics in such data base will provide a more complete picture of the overall impact of enslaved persons resistance to and defiance against the chattel slavery system and plantationization institutions in the Deep South.

Because enslavers went to such great lengths and extents to regain their chattel human property, the economic impact is a consideration in such a study.

Certain listings of suspected costs are the following: Jail fees. Chasers of enslaved persons travel costs and fees. Travel costs of enslavers to go and claim enslaved persons who had gone long distances away. Investment cost of replacing non-returned runaways, escapees or self-mutilated enslaved persons. Labor, service and product production and investment losses of enslavers collectively, and individually in the areas of cash crops, crafts, blacksmithing, construction, clearing, decrease or increase in investments in human chattel at the sale markets and so on.

While reading hundred of enslaved persons narratives and searching and reading thousands of 19^th century newspaper advertisements for enslaved runaways and those in jail, it became clear and apparent to a discerning mind that the majority of these persons did not fit the typical stereotyped images and characters that they had been historically depicted.

An extrapolation of common tread factors that appeared repeatable in the newspaper ads relative to the character, health, dress, appearance, intelligence, skill, cunningness, determination and resolve of enslaved persons who ran away, absconded and or who in some way were in jail, supports and provide ample evidence that kills the following historical myths about them and enslaved people in general. 

Some Common Historical Stereotypical Characters and Myths That Must Be Crucified and Buried 

Runaway Chattel Enslaved Persons Were:

Restricted by a Lack of knowledge the Geography beyond Their Places of Enslavement 

Doomed to Enslavement for Life and Could Not escape From Slavery in the Deep South 

Extrapolations From the Newspaper Ads and Personal Narratives Prove That Runaway Chattel Enslaved Persons Were: 

• Coal  Gold  Silver  and  Lead Miners 

• Groomers  and Trainers

• Land Preservationists

• Medicinal             and Traditional African             Spiritual Healers

• Freight Handlers       Steamboat Firemen            and Stewards

•  Brick Makers     and Masons  

• Public Roads and Railroad Builders

• Jewelry Designers      and Makers

•  Construction Workers

•  Many Men  and Women Were  Good Looking, Likely and Intelligent  

  Smart             Cunning          Good Countenances            Well Made              Handsome

•  Some Women Dressed as Men and Men Dressed as Women.

•  Many Stole Money, Guns, Horses, Fine Clothes and Jewelry. 

• Some Were Conductors of and Harbors of Other Enslaved Persons Seeking Freedom or Defying Their Enslavers.

• They Were Mulattos—Near White---Copper Colored---and Very Black.

• They Were in Jails Everywhere and Relentlessly Ran away Up and Down the Mississippi River and its Many Networks of Steams, Creeks and Other Rivers.

•  Many Could Read and Write European Languages. 

• Many Spoke More Than One Non-African Language of the Europeans and Spoke Languages of First Nations People Here in Americas.

• Some Wrote Fake Passes for Other Enslaved Persons.

• Many Ran Back to the Enslavement States They Were Taken From, to Re-Unite With Family or Loved Ones.

• Some Broke Out of Jails.

• A Great Many Wore the Finest of Clothing. 

• Upon Their First Setting Foot In The Deep South, Many Took Refuge Among First Nations “Native Americans.” They Lived With Them, Married Them, Fought With Them, Led Them and Disguised Their African Traditions, Culture and Instruments as First Nations Culture.

• A Great Number Were Habitual Runaways and Establishers of Independent Maroons Communities.      
   

CHATTEL ENSLAVED PERSONS WHOLESALE DESTRUCTION OF THE SYSTEM OF PHYSICAL ENSLAVEMENT

Finally, on the eve of and during the Uncivil War, thousands upon thousands of chattel-enslaved persons deliberately abandoned their places of enslavement on plantations, in towns, territories, cities and states in the Deep South.

 ·          They came out of their local hiding places, and also returned from up North and Canada and willingly became participants in the “greatest” enslaved persons “rebellion in the history of the United States.”

 ·          They became Union Army Freedom Fighting Troops and Navy Sailors of African Descent and decisively won the double victory of Saving the Union of the United States and defeating their enslavers, thereby putting the system of chattel slavery out of business.

 ·          Thus, their self-emancipating and heroic/sheroic actions made Juneteenth freedom and the 13th, 14^th, and 15^th Amendments Civil Rights Acts possible.

 ·          They enhanced their traditional Afrikan institution of family by reuniting old family ties and establishing new families.

 ·          They imitated European-like values, churches, schools, communities and businesses.

 ·          They participated in European-like governments and civic affairs and made the “historically black colleges” institutions of European lessons plans.

 ·          They carried out the first wholesale mass Black action for uhuru (freedom) in America that kept people of Afrikan Descent from being physically, enslaved today and they set-up the freedom for Africans in America to make the choices they make today, right or wrong.

 TIME to MAKE FORGOTTEN OFFERINGS to OUR ONCE ENSLAVED ANCESTORS AND FOREPARENTS