“A Chesapeake Afternoon Mystery” illustrates a couple of themes in American history, most importantly the true beginnings of a strict form of slavery, as well as the treatment and outlook on those who did not fall under the category of white male. Women, even those married to respected white men, were not seen as more than property themselves. There was a very fine line that was being tread in 1681 between indentured servants, slaves, and women. The only real distinction came between white, land owning males, and everyone else. The decision of guilt or innocence in a case between any one falling into the latter group did not depend solely on the facts, but rather on who was valued above whom.
The case of Katherine Watkins is both a fascinating and tragic one. We have a first hand look into the workings of the every day lives of those who lived back then. The goings on between the different people and the way they react and accept the presence of one another is an invaluable tool in trying to understand how those upholding the law could come to the decisions that they would ultimately come to, not just in this case, but in others as well. By looking into a single day of the lives of a multitude of people on a single plantation, it is easier to understand what went on, how it was coped with, and why the consequences that would occur did. It does not make any of them more modern or acceptable in today’s terms or society, but being able to read, in the exact words, the testimonies of people who lived then is as close as we can come to walking into the past ourselves and watching first hand.
However, we can also see inequalities that abound, and analyze them from the view of a total outsider. Were this a trial held today, there would be no doubt that Katherine Watkins would be found in the right, but there would also not be so severe a punishment for the man who committed the crime. This, though, was a case that revolved around the eyewitness accounts of people who had spent all day drinking, and also the accounts of people who were products of their times.
Through these accounts we can gather that Katherine was probably one of the most inebriated of the group. She had come in already having drunk a good deal before hand, and she proceeded to drink as much as any of the men. Then, there is a story that we are missing-- the story behind her knowing John Long, her accused rapist, as well as his father. This story could very well be vital to what happens later, could justify her actions, or it could possibly make it that much more inappropriate. It is impossible to know what went on before, and so we must rely on what others saw and said.
To say that Katherine deserved what she got is in no way right, but in the society that she lived in, that is probably how it was viewed. However, this is not the problem that those hearing her case are debating. The problem that they see is who is more valuable, a woman who provides no form of labor, and who causes trouble with those who work the plantation, or a man who is worth something both physically through the labor he can provide the plantation owner, and also monetarily, should he be a legitimate slave who could be sold. In chapter 3 of The American Journey it states that slaves were not only more expensive than servants, but also a "better long-term investment." [1]
To look at it purely as though these people are not people, but objects of differing worth, we can see who would come out in the end and why, more than likely, any complaint of Katherine’s would have been of little importance or care to those judging. They were looking through the eyes of investors, land owners, men who were interested in money and anything that could help them reach the goal of a prosperous plantation. In essence, it isn't a matter of whether or not John Long committed the crime, but of whether or not he is worth more than Katherine, and in the eyes of those who look at the world with the sole intention of profit, he is.
Works Cited:
[1] Goldfield, David, Carl Abbott, Virginia D. Anderson, Jo Ann E. Argersinger, Peter H. Argersinger, William L. Barney, and Robert M. Weir. The American Journey. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2006. 114.
Comments