In the Shadow of Freedom: The Politics of Slavery in the National Capital

Slavery in the Shadow of Liberty

3 Paul Finkelman Slavery in the Shadow of Liberty The Problem of Slavery in Congress and the Nation’s Capital Few images of early฀America฀were฀more฀striking,฀and฀jarring,฀than฀ that฀ of฀ slaves฀ in฀ the฀ nation’s฀ capital.฀ every฀ day฀ thousands฀ of฀ slaves฀ moved฀around฀Washington,฀laboring฀on฀behalf฀of฀the฀city’s฀white฀community ฀and฀the฀nation’s฀government.฀In฀the฀capital฀city฀of฀the฀world’s฀most฀important ฀free฀republic,฀slaves฀were฀everywhere.฀Hotels,฀restaurants,฀carriages฀ —even฀houses฀of฀prostitution—used฀slave฀labor.฀The฀homes฀of฀the฀city’s฀ most prosperous residents were staffed by slaves rather than hired servants, as was common in the North. Livery stables used slaves to care for horses, and stores฀used฀slaves฀to฀carry฀goods฀to฀patrons.฀Black฀slaves฀waited฀on฀the฀senators฀ and฀representatives฀who฀made฀the฀laws฀for฀the฀American฀Republic.฀In฀almost฀ all฀ways฀slaves฀served฀and฀maintained฀the฀legislators,฀bureaucrats,฀jurists,฀cabinet officials, military leaders, and even the presidents who lived and worked in the฀seat฀of฀power฀of฀the฀world’s฀most฀prominent฀democratic฀republic. Southern politicians, jurists, military officers, bureaucrats, and entrepreneurs ฀brought฀their฀favorite฀servants—and฀often฀their฀slave฀mistresses—with฀ them when they represented their states, dedicated themselves to national service,฀or฀journeyed฀to฀the฀nation’s฀capital฀to฀seek฀fame฀and฀fortune.฀For฀the฀ southerners฀who฀dominated฀Washington฀society฀and฀made฀the฀city฀work,฀ the฀presence฀of฀slaves฀seemed฀normal฀and฀even฀comforting.฀The฀national฀ capital reminded them of their southern homes and their southern way of life. Slavery in the District of Columbia also reinforced a sense that their “peculiar฀institution”฀remained฀secure฀in฀the฀nation,฀despite฀the฀growing฀ 4 Paul Finkelman northern฀opposition฀to฀human฀bondage฀and฀after฀the฀1830s฀the฀emergence฀ of฀militant฀abolitionism.฀Indeed,฀as฀england฀and฀other฀european฀nations฀ ended฀slavery฀and฀denounced฀its฀immorality,฀American฀masters฀were฀secure฀ in฀their฀national฀capital,฀where฀slavery฀was฀the฀rule.฀Despite฀growing฀opposition in the North to slavery, for most of the antebellum period northerners tolerated฀the฀capital฀city’s฀slave฀culture,฀although฀often฀with฀a฀sense฀of฀disgust .฀Foreign฀visitors฀must฀have฀been฀confused,฀bewildered,฀or฀perhaps฀bemused ฀by฀the฀sight฀of฀so฀many฀black฀bondsmen฀in฀a฀nation฀that฀arrogantly฀ proclaimed฀itself฀to฀be฀the฀guardian฀of฀liberty฀and฀the฀embodiment฀of฀freedom ,฀but฀they฀also฀were฀invariably฀forced฀to฀accommodate฀it.฀After฀all,฀northerners ,฀diplomats,฀and฀other฀foreigners฀could฀rarely฀escape฀slave฀culture,฀even฀ if they abhorred it. Slavery inevitably affected their lives, and they were served by฀slaves฀in฀boardinghouses,฀laundries,฀restaurants,฀theaters,฀and฀almost฀every฀ establishment฀they฀patronized. ฀ Other฀sights฀of฀slavery฀were฀less฀comforting฀to฀southerners,฀while฀con- firming฀to฀many฀northerners฀and฀foreign฀visitors฀the฀horrors฀of฀slavery.฀Slaves,฀ after all, were whipped, jailed, and chastised in public. More important, they฀were฀sold฀and฀sent฀south.฀Washington฀was฀never฀a฀large฀slave฀market,฀ but, as Don E. Fehrenbacher noted, the city was “an important depot in the฀interstate฀slave฀trade,”฀as฀local฀slaves฀were฀purchased฀and฀others,฀from฀ Maryland,฀ Delaware,฀ or฀ virginia,฀ were฀ marched฀ across฀ the฀ District฀ of฀ Columbia in chains on their way to southern markets. Even southern politicians and leaders found this aspect of slavery unpleasant or worse. In 1802 a฀grand฀jury฀complained฀about฀nonresidents฀coming฀to฀the฀city฀“for฀the฀ purpose฀of฀purchasing฀slaves,฀where฀they฀exhibit฀to฀our฀view฀a฀scene฀of฀ wretchedness฀and฀human฀degradation,฀disgraceful฀to฀our฀characters฀as฀citizens ฀of฀a฀free฀government.”฀So฀offensive฀was฀this฀trade฀that฀in฀the฀wake฀of฀ the War of 1812฀Congressman฀John฀Randolph,฀a฀slave-owning฀virginian,฀ proposed฀a฀congressional฀investigation฀into฀this฀“inhuman฀and฀illegal฀traffic.”1 From฀the฀founding฀of฀the฀city฀until฀the฀passage฀of฀the฀Compromise฀of฀1850 the nation witnessed persistent demands for an end to open commerce in slaves฀in฀the฀nation’s฀capital. ฀ yet,฀despite฀Randolph’s฀protest,฀and฀those฀of฀various฀slaveholding฀residents ฀of฀the฀city,฀slave฀trading฀was฀inseparable฀from฀slavery฀itself.฀It฀is฀impossible ฀to฀have฀a฀regime฀based฀on฀property฀without฀providing฀a฀market฀for฀that฀ 1 Don E. Fehrenbacher, The Slaveholding Republic: An Account of the United States Government’s Relations to Slavery฀(New฀york,฀2001), pp. 66–67. Slavery in the Shadow of Liberty 5 property.฀Slaves฀were฀property,฀and฀Washington,฀D.C.,฀was฀a฀slave฀city,฀to฀the฀ satisfaction฀of฀its฀southern฀residents฀and฀to฀the฀disgust฀of...