Existing comment:
The Lives of The Hermitage Slave Community:
When Andrew Jackson died in 1845, The Hermitage was home to a varied community of people including the Jackson family, their guests, the overseer and his family, and about 150 African-American slaves. When Andrew and Rachel first moved to The Hermitage in 1804, they had nine slaves. The enslaved population grew as Jackson prospered. He bought additional slaves through the years and the slaves formed families and had children. Jackson rarely sold a slave. When Andrew Jackson left for Washington in 1829, around eighty slaves lived and worked at The Hermitage. Their labor was essential to the maintenance of The Hermitage mansion and surrounding property. Slaves at The Hermitage were assigned work in three different spheres: agricultural, domestic, and skilled tasks. Most worked in Jackson's cotton, corn, and wheat fields. At least ten slaves worked at skilled occupations such as blacksmithing, sewing, carpentry and weaving. About eleven slaves worked at domestic tasks around the mansion such as cooking and housework.
Each enslaved family at The Hermitage had their own dwelling. By the 1820s, almost all slave housing on the property consisted of a 20 by 20 foot room, with a fireplace for cooking and heating. These dwellings were clustered together in three locations near different work areas on the plantation. ...
In the 1840s, there were about twenty Hermitage slave families with an average of six children each. Jackson encouraged stable families because family-based slave communities proved easier to discipline, control, and support. In turn, familiar and communal links provided structure and strong connections for those who lived as Jackson's slaves. |