Forgotten Voices: The Overlooked History of Enslaved People with Disabilities

By Rowan Tipping

As the title says, the experiences of enslaved peoples with disabilities are not commonly discussed when considering the history of slavery in the Antebellum South. With about 10% of America’s enslaved population having been affected by some form of disability, it is important to look deeper into this area of American history [1]. From how enslavers would see those they enslaved with disabilities as less ‘valuable’, to how enslavers treated those they enslaved with disabilities, to how enslaved individuals with disabilities played vital roles in the enslaved communities. The experiences and contributions of those who had disabilities under the oppressive system of chattel slavery in the Antebellum South are crucial to have a full understanding of this part of our nation’s history.

To begin, it must be observed that enslaved peoples with disabilities were seen as a burden by enslavers, who only wished to exploit them for their physical labor. This can be seen in how enslavers described many individuals with disabilities whom they held in bondage as “useless”, with some going as far as saying they were “chargeable”, meaning they were a financial liability to the enslaver [2]. However, because the system of chattel slavery was inherently exploitative there were still many instances where enslavers would force those they enslaved who had disabilities to do physical labor until they were unable to do so [3]. It is also said that in some specific instances if enslavers felt they were unable to exploit those they had enslaved with disabilities they would sell them or hire them out for ‘medical research’ [3]. Showing how enslavers truly looked at those they enslaved purely as financial assets that they needed to make profitable in one way or another.

But in many cases, enslavers were unable to sell those they enslaved with disabilities, so in the earlier parts of the antebellum period many enslavers would find other ways to remove them from their control. This can be seen mainly in the instances when enslaved individuals with disabilities as well as those who were elderly would be manumitted by their enslavers and sent to major urban cities in the south with no money or form of assistance [4]. This became such a common practice for enslavers that many urban areas became overwhelmed, so much so that stricter legislation was created in the latter part of the antebellum period to make it harder for enslavers to manumit those they’ve enslaved [4]. Some say these legislative actions were made to ‘protect’ elderly or disabled enslaved individuals, but it is widely recognized as a measure to make it so they would not become reliant on government support. 

While those who were enslaved with disabilities were more vulnerable, they were also in many cases less likely to be sold off, meaning that they were normally able to stay with their families or communities. Due to the combination of not being sold and many being ignored by their enslavers, many enslaved people with disabilities played crucial roles in their communities such as caregivers and healers [1]. This can be seen in more detail in an interview with a formerly enslaved man named Frank Fikes when he stated "My work was very easy when I was a little slave. Something got wrong with my foot when I first started walking and I was crippled. I could not get around like the other children, so my work was to nurse all of the time. Sometimes, as fast as I got one baby to sleep I would have to nurse another one to sleep. We belonged to Mars Colonel Williams and he had I guess a hundred families on his place and nearly every family had a baby, so I had a big job after all [5]."

With this statement in mind, it can be seen how Mr. Fikes, as an enslaved person who had a disability, played a vital role during his childhood in his enslaved community by helping raise around one hundred children. It also must be kept in mind that Mr. Fikes is one of many stories at this time, as many enslaved peoples with disabilities had to take on similar roles within the enslaved communities they were in. 

Overall, the perspectives, experiences, and contributions of enslaved people with disabilities are a major part of the history of chattel slavery in the Antebellum South. From how enslaved peoples with disabilities were seen and treated by their enslavers, to how enslaved individuals with disabilities played crucial roles in supporting enslaved communities. This article only touches the surface of a deeper history that must be further discussed to fully understand a major part of our nation’s history, the system of slavery which is a major scar during the inception of our politics, that must be recognized and addressed on all fronts, including that of disabilities [6].

References:

[1] Gambini, Bert. “Book Explores the Intersection of Slavery and Disability in the U.S.” University at Buffalo, February 15, 2022. https://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2022/02/017.html.

[2] Barclay, Jenifer L. “Mothering the ‘Useless’: Black Motherhood, Disability, and Slavery.” Women, Gender, and Families of Color 2, no. 2 (2014): 115–40. https://doi.org/10.5406/womgenfamcol.2.2.0115.

[3] Turner, David M. “African American Slavery and Disability: Bodies, Property, and Power in the Antebellum South, 1800–1860.” Disability & Society 29 (2014): 1505–6. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687599.2014.931652. 

[4] Boster, Dea H. “‘Useless’: Disability, Slave Labor, and Contradiction on Antebellum Southern Plantations.” Review of Disabilities Studies 7, no. 3 & 4 (October 26, 2014). https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/49315c96-5b99-4040-bdc4-b2f6dc8a8645/content#:~:text=Abstract:%20African%20American%20slaves%20with,%2C%20and%20murder%E2%80%94from%20masters. 

[5] Anderson, Parnella. Fikes, Frank: Ex-Slave Interview. Other. Arkansas Digital Archives. Arkansas State Archives, 1937. 

https://ar-digital.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/manuscripts/id/2017/. 

[6] Willoughby, Christopher D. E. “Slavery and Disability in Antebellum America.” AAIHS, May 4, 2023. https://www.aaihs.org/slavery-and-disability-in-antebellum-america/.