THE MULTIPLE VERSIONS OF A DIVERSE INSTITUTION OR A Firsthand Account of Slavery in Florida Being Recollections of My Time Here Spent

I have always admired men who do good deeds for those with no power to do them for themselves. Even as a child, I remember thinking with fondness on the Baron de Carondelet who, in his first “Bando de Buen Gobierno,” commanded that all slaves from that point on were to be well treated [1]. It warms my heart that Ewan has the responsibility of purchasing new slaves and bringing them here to work for Mr. Kingsley who gives hard working and intelligent slaves multiple beneficial opportunities. Why, earlier this year, Mr. Kingsley granted his wife and former slave Anna manumission, describing in the document the “truth and fidelity” with which she has served him—characteristics that surely are a result of the man’s own teachings and grace [2]. I would be surprised if, in the future, Mr. Kingsley did not give all of his slaves an opportunity for earned freedom [3]. I feel he is doing each black a great service, for I have heard the horrors that many enslaved Africans face at the hands of cruel masters. Why just yesterday, I heard from Molly our cook that an overseer from a nearby plantation forbade one of his boys from traveling to an adjacent plantation where his wife lived, telling him to instead take a new wife on his home plantation. When the poor man tried to go and see his wife, he was caught, staked hand and foot to the ground, and beaten near to death [4]. From what I have heard, it also seems to be a trend in this territory for masters to drink in excess then beat whoever is so unfortunate as to be at hand [5].

I abhor such cruelty, as does Mr. Kingsley who treats his slaves with the utmost trust and decency. Each of his workers is given a plot of land and receives daily orders on its cultivation and maintenance. At the completion of each day’s assignment, the worker is free to pursue a number of different occupations such as fishing and gardening [6]. As mentioned before, Mr. Kingsley entrusts the slaves themselves with many positions that would be held by white or mixed men on any other plantation. Here, we do not worry about slave revolts or escapes; Mr. Kingsley’s slaves are in the best of situations.

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