"What the Farm Expends on the Blacks," The Mobberly Diaries, Part I, 1820

"What the Farm Expends on the Blacks," The Mobberly Diaries, Part I, 1820

Slave labor; Slaves--United States--Social conditions; Master and Servant; Slaves--United States--Economic conditions.

In this diary entry from 1820, Br. Joseph Mobberly calculates the money the farm invested in supporting slaves. His conclusion is "that the farm would do much better without them than with them."

Joseph P. Mobberly, SJ Papers

Georgetown Slavery Archive

The Mobberly Diaries were previously hosted by the Jesuit Plantation Project.

1820

Adam Rothman, Elsa Barraza Mendoza

Georgetown University Library

PDF

English

Manuscript

GSA139

[Page 139]

What the farm expends for the Blacks

I formerly made a calculation of what the farm expended in the support of the Blacks -- the amount of that year was more than $1800 -- I repeated the calculation a few years after, & found that it exceeded $2000. I allowed a common, fair price for every article, viz. Bread, meat, clothing, house rent, gardens, firewood & c. & c. descending to the smallest particulars. Having duly considered all things, I then thought as I do now, that the farm would do much better without them than with them. 

Exclude the Blacks & the corn system: take in 5 or 6 apprentice boys to the farming business: hire 2 or three strong men that understand farming: manage well, & be assured that as good or better wheat crops will be made on the farm then, than can be made under the present system. -- The

[Page 140]

Possible arrangements

above plan would do well, but the following would do much better. 

Apportion out the land and farms: build good, durable houses: engage respectable tenants, and the annual income will be much greater than it can be under the present system. --Having no Blacks the expenses would be very few: making little or no corn the land would soon become rich -- or according to the last plan, having nothing more to do than to receive the rents from the tenements, all troubles, cares and vexations would vanish.

As slaves are very discontented in their present state of servitude, & are becoming more corrupt and more worthless every year, I do not think that planters can ever succeed well under the prevailing system.

Manuscript