Ben Horry
Ben Huckleberry
Just a little information
Paying his dad's dues: Backstory
Ben ended up having to work as a boatman during the Civil War because of his dad's actions. While you make think this is fun and interesting, he actually had to work very hard on the boat to transfer cargo on and off the boat. Ben was freed of slavery at the age 45, and was admired for his dedication and loyalty to his master until he died.
Getting into detail
Lives a life like Huckleberry: Ben's Slave Life
Ben's dad growing up was a big alcoholic. The other slaves in the house he was enslaved in tried to get him to stop but it was no use. Ben and his father's Master would have other slaves whip each other, but when it came to Ben's dad, he always wanted to do it himself. Although the Master would whip Ben's father and have the slaves whip each other after their mistakes, he was actually a fairly nice guy. He fed the slaves well and treated them with respect as long as they didn't make mistakes.
Keeping his personality: Ben
Ben was a very athletic boy growing up, even before being hired as a slave, which made it easy for himself to maintain his self hood in the house he was in. His master was very athletic as well, almost being like a personal coach to him considering how athletic they both were. He put all of the slaves on healthy diets in order to give them energy to work throughout the day. He would also exercise them so that when working, they weren't killing their bodies. Which may sound painful or just like even more work, but it actually helped them to be in better working condition, and Ben loved it.
Ben's Relationship With White People and Their Relationship With Him: The Effect
Ben's master was nicer than most, and treated his slaves a lot better than most, and Ben was very grateful for that. Ben loved all people, no matter what ethnicity. He was always respectful towards everyone which ended up doing him good in the long run.When Ben went to work as a boatman, the whites that knew Ben weren't very happy. especially his master. His master didn't want him to go somewhere else and be disrespected, considering he was only working on the boats because of his dad. Once Ben's slavery was over, he was still very respectful to everyone and kept in touch with his previous master. Once while he worked on the boat, there was a flood, causing everyone to have to swim off the boat. Ben said "I couldn't swim to save nobody, I didn't a do nothin but SWIM FOR MYSELF" but even then, he still helped 3 white women get out of the boat.
Stuck in Slavery: South Carolina Slave
Ben was a slave who was raised in South Carolina, and hired there as well. South Carolina stayed a slave state for over 60 years. Ben stated, "I done lost hope in gettin outta der." He was right, he wasn't really getting out of the state anytime soon, although he was relocated during the Civil War to another part of the state. Work got harder during the Civil War, because there was more to be done, but the slave laws slowly eased up as the Civil War went on for Ben.
Abolitionists Going Strong
Abolitionists did help end slavery a lot. It first eased up the laws, taking several years, but eventually slavery was eliminated and we can't help but think it was thanks to the people like Ben who got the message across that black people are just as nice as white people and have the same intentions, so they shouldn't be treated any different than the whites, so all of the boycotts, all of the rants, all of the support from the abolitionists is what helped draw attention to the need to end slavery.