The more that I read the history of slavery, the worse it gets. Based on the “edict of 1639,” a slave’s parent’s permission was of no importance, it was the consent of the master that was what mattered. Even if an enslaved person wished to marry a free Black, it still necessitated that the master give their approval. The law was very strict.
Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:
My father was a southern boy, through and through. That is until the reality of living in the modern world, in California, changed his thinking. As a little girl, I helped him build a split rail fence and he told me, “We shouldn’t be doing this. It’s a sin to work on Sunday.” He went on to work on Sundays. He had a great line. “It says in the Bible that it’s okay to work on Sunday if the ox is caught in a ditch.” The Louisiana slave codes, taken from the French Catholic authorities back in 1685 stated that, “Sundays and holidays are to be strictly observed. All negroes found at work on these days are to be confiscated.”
Freedom is worth fighting for.
Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:
If you’re in a mixed marriage take heart that you live in 2024 and not 1724, when the Black Code “forbid our white subjects, of both sexes, to marry with the blacks, under the penalty of being fined and subjected to some other arbitrary punishment. We forbid all curates, priests, or missionaries of our secular or regular clergy, and even our chaplains in our navy to sanction such marriages.”
Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:
The Black Code of Louisiana, was installed in 1724. Also called Code Noir, it was the list of rules forced upon enslaved people of color. Religion is a beautiful part of Black culture. I cannot easily conjure up words to express the respect that I feel for America’s Black Church services. From the beginning, the Code Noir made it “imperative on masters to impart religious instruction to their slaves.” Throughout the centuries, Black religionists have fought hard to break away from the pay-to-play requirements imposed upon them when establishing their own churches.
Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:
“To regulate relations between slaves and colonists, the Louisiana Code noir, or slave code, based largely on that compiled in 1685 for the French Caribbean colonies, was introduced in 1724 and remained in force until the United States took possession of Louisiana in 1803. The Code’s 54 articles regulated the status of slaves and free blacks, as well as relations between masters and slaves.”
Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:
Peter and his wife, Miss Townsend have left us with an unusual story. Peter was Miss Townsend’s father’s slave. The father “gave” Peter to his daughter so that they could marry. The statement reads, “his master gave him to her.” These are the only details, we’ll have to ponder the circumstances. The place was Charlestown, South Carolina, just before the Revolutionary War.
Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:
Harry was a slender fellow of thirty-eight when his “master” headed for the hills, leaving him alone to deal with the British troops that landed on New York Island during Revolutionary War times. We know of Harry because he appears in British records of “Negroes” that were “property” of American colonists. I wonder about Harry’s emotions. Anger? Fear? Relief? Hope?
Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:
Harry Washington is recorded as being a “fine fellow.” I guess only the best for George Washington for whom Harry served as slave. I have no idea how our first president treated his slaves but the fact that he owned slaves tells us a lot about our history.
Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:
If you were a Black man recently freed and you were convicted of the crime of committing an “insulting gesture,” you would have received thirty days in jail and a fine, maybe as high as a hundred dollars. A lot of money back then. Anything could be confused with an innocent wave of the hand. No doubt, these accusations occurred regularly in post-Civil War days.
Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:
Imagine being a runaway slave and getting caught by slave catchers who’d been drinking. They waved a warrant for your arrest. They waved guns and they saw you as someone’s property. Pretty terrifying.
Suellen Ocean is the author of the Civil War Era Historic Romance, Black Pansy:
Ancestry&History 