Historian Eugene Genovese's book Roll, Jordan, Roll is an analysis of the lives of Southern Blacks during the time of slavery. One of his main arguments is that while black men and women sometimes did break down under the pressures of the system, the majority of slaves maintained their pride and their dignity - their humanity.
Your assignment is to read three chapters from this book, the first on marriages, the second on fathers & husbands, and the third on mothers & wives. Then answer the following questions, using specific examples or stories from the book. There are no correct or incorrect answers, what I am looking for you to do is to think about the stories in the chapter, to form your own opinion, and then to defend that opinion by referring to specific stories or comments by the author.
1 - How were slave marriages different from traditional southern marriages?
2 - To what extent were male slaves actually able to fulfill the role of husband and father?
3 - To what extent were female slaves able to fulfill the role of wife and mother?
4 - How accurate or inaccurate were the stereotypes that white slave-owners shared about their slaves?