Letter to My Old Master

Haggadah Section: -- Exodus Story

In August of 1865, a Colonel P.H. Anderson of Big Spring, Tennessee, wrote to his former slave, Jourdon Anderson, and requested that he come back to work on his farm. Jourdon — who, since being emancipated, had moved to Ohio, found paid work, and was now supporting his family — responded spectacularly by way of the letter seen below (a letter which, according to newspapers at the time, he dictated).

Dayton, Ohio, August 7, 1865

To My Old Master, Colonel P.H. Anderson,

Big Spring, Tennessee

Sir: I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jourdon, and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again, promising to do better for me than anybody else can. I have often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees would have hung you long before this, for harboring Rebs they found at your house. I suppose they never heard about your going to Colonel Martin's to kill the Union soldier that was left by his company in their stable. Although you shot at me twice before I left you, I did not want to hear of your being hurt, and am glad you are still living. It would do me good to go back to the dear old home again, and see Miss Mary and Miss Martha and Allen, Esther, Green, and Lee. Give my love to them all, and tell them I hope we will meet in the better world, if not in this. I would have gone back to see you all when I was working in the Nashville Hospital, but one of the neighbors told me that Henry intended to shoot me if he ever got a chance.

I want to know particularly what the good chance is you propose to give me. I am doing tolerably well here. I get twenty-five dollars a month, with victuals and clothing; have a comfortable home for Mandy,—the folks call her Mrs. Anderson,—and the children—Milly, Jane, and Grundy—go to school and are learning well. The teacher says Grundy has a head for a preacher. They go to Sunday school, and Mandy and me attend church regularly. We are kindly treated. Sometimes we overhear others saying, "Them colored people were slaves" down in Tennessee. The children feel hurt when they hear such remarks; but I tell them it was no disgrace in Tennessee to belong to Colonel Anderson. Many darkeys would have been proud, as I used to be, to call you master.

Now if you will write and say what wages you will give me, I will be better able to decide whether it would be to my advantage to move back again.

As to my freedom, which you say I can have, there is nothing to be gained on that score, as I got my free papers in 1864 from the Provost-Marshal-General of the Department of Nashville. Mandy says she would be afraid to go back without some proof that you were disposed to treat us justly and kindly; and we have concluded to test your sincerity by asking you to send us our wages for the time we served you. This will make us forget and forgive old scores, and rely on your justice and friendship in the future. I served you faithfully for thirty-two years, and Mandy twenty years. At twenty-five dollars a month for me, and two dollars a week for Mandy, our earnings would amount to eleven thousand six hundred and eighty dollars. Add to this the interest for the time our wages have been kept back, and deduct what you paid for our clothing, and three doctor's visits to me, and pulling a tooth for Mandy, and the balance will show what we are in justice entitled to. Please send the money by Adams's Express, in care of V. Winters, Esq., Dayton, Ohio. If you fail to pay us for faithful labors in the past, we can have little faith in your promises in the future. We trust the good Maker has opened your eyes to the wrongs which you and your fathers have done to me and my fathers, in making us toil for you for generations without recompense. Here I draw my wages every Saturday night; but in Tennessee there was never any pay-day for the negroes any more than for the horses and cows. Surely there will be a day of reckoning for those who defraud the laborer of his hire.

In answering this letter, please state if there would be any safety for my Milly and Jane, who are now grown up, and both good-looking girls. You know how it was with poor Matilda and Catherine. I would rather stay here and starve—and die, if it come to that—than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters. You will also please state if there has been any schools opened for the colored children in your neighborhood. The great desire of my life now is to give my children an education, and have them form virtuous habits.

Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me.

From your old servant,

Jourdon Anderson. 

Source:  
http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/01/to-my-old-master.html
Edit Clip
Greatest Hits Haggadah
HA
Haggadot
Table of contents
    Introduction
  • OurJewishCommunity.org Introduction
  • Seder Plate
  • Silent Meditation on Candelighting
  • A Seder plate for current events
  • Passover Themes Meaningful to Interfaith Families
  • The Cup of Deliverance- Second Cup of Wine
  • Matzah
    • Kadesh
  • Wine
  • Four Cups of Wine
  • Traditional - Kadesh
  • Kadesh
    • Urchatz
  • Handwashing - Urchatz
  • Urchatz
  • Hand Washing
  • Urchatz
    • Karpas
  • Karpas
  • Karpas
  • Karpas Kavannah
  • Dip Parsley in Saltwater
    • Yachatz
  • Breaking the matzah - hunger
  • The Middle Matzah Horcrux
  • Entering the Broken World
  • Yachatz - Break the Middle Matzah
    • Maggid - Beginning
  • Maggid
    • -- Four Questions
  • Traditional - Four Questions
  • Four Questions in Fictional Languages
    • -- Four Children
  • Four Daughters
  • Four Children
  • the four children
  • Four Children
  • The Four Adults
  • Golden Girls Wise Child
    • -- Exodus Story
  • Natalia Kadish
  • Exodus Story
  • Geulah
  • The Memory of Pesach: A Tale of Two Stories
  • Min Hametzar - Calling Out from the Narrow Place
  • The 21 Jump Street
  • Letter to My Old Master
  • DAYENU: An Exercise in Gratitude
    • -- Ten Plagues
  • Ten ancient and modern plagues
  • Circle of Plagues
  • The Journey Towards Liberation - The Hard Parts
  • Ten Plagues - Frog
  • 10 Plagues, Amsterdam Haggadah, 1738, NLI
    • -- Cup #2 & Dayenu
  • dayeinu graph
  • Maggid Closing - Dayenu
  • Pesach Matzah Maror
  • The Passover Symbols, The Orange & Miriam's Cup
  • Dayenu with English Hebrew and Transliteration
  • love
  • Opening the door for Elijah
    • The Second Cup
    • Who Knows One?
      • Rachtzah
    • Rachtzah
      • Motzi-Matzah
    • Motzi-Matzah
    • DIY Matzoh Baking
    • What is the meaning of matzah?
    • Eating the Matza
    • Why Flatbread?
      • Maror
    • Horseradish
    • The Journey Towards Liberation - The complicated parts
    • Marror- Daniela Hojda
    • maror
    • Maror
    • Maror Cocktail
      • Koreich
    • Hillel Sandwich
    • Mixing the Bitter and the Sweet
    • The Future, the Past, and the Present
    • who invented the sandwhich
    • Hillel's Sandwich
      • Shulchan Oreich
    • A Fish Tale
    • The Meal
    • Shulchan Orech
    • Passover Around The World Trivia
    • Dinner is Served
      • Tzafun
    • Afikomen - bread of subjectivity
    • The Afikoman
      • Bareich
    • Opening the Door for Elijah
    • After Such A Fine Story: Blessing After Eating the Seder Meal
    • Blessing for the third cup of wine
    • Miriam's Cup
    • Miriam's Cup by Miriam Jerris
    • Ruth's Cup: A New Passover Ritual Celebrating Jewish Diversity
      • Hallel
    • Sharing Responsibility
    • To Say Nothing But Thank You
    • Zeroah
      • Commentary / Readings
    • Praise the Contrary and Its Defenders
      • Nirtzah
    • NEXT YEAR IN... : A Note to my Future Self
    • won't you celebrate with me, by Lucille Clifton
    • Nirtzah
    • Nirtzah
    • Neertzah
    • Echad Mi Yodea -- Who Knows One -- Hebrew / English / Transliteration
    • Counting the Omer
      • Songs
    • One Little Goat - חַד גַּדְיָא
    • Miriams Song
    • Adir Hu
    • Hatikva
    • Ki Lo Naeh
    • Inspired to create
      your own Haggadah?

      Make your own Haggadah and share with other Seder lovers around the world

      Have an idea
      for a clip?

      People like you bring their creativity to Haggadot.com when they share their ideas in a clip

      Support Us
      with your donation

      Help us build moments of meaning and connection through
      home-based Jewish rituals.

      OUR TOP CONTRIBUTORS

      contributor image
      Esther Kustanowitz
      4 Haggadahs38 Clips
      contributor image
      JQ International
      1 Haggadah40 Clips
      contributor image
      MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
      5 Haggadahs109 Clips
      contributor image
      18Doors
      1 Haggadah13 Clips
      contributor image
      JewishBoston
      1 Haggadah78 Clips
      contributor image
      Truah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
      1 Haggadah36 Clips
      contributor image
      American Jewish World Service
      1 Haggadah44 Clips
      contributor image
      JewBelong
      3 Haggadahs57 Clips
      contributor image
      Repair the World
      12 Clips
      contributor image
      HIAS
      5 Haggadahs48 Clips
      contributor image
      Be'chol Lashon
      2 Haggadahs27 Clips
      contributor image
      PJ Library
      1 Haggadah17 Clips
      contributor image
      Jewish World Watch
      3 Haggadahs42 Clips
      contributor image
      Secular Synagogue
      10 Clips
      contributor image
      SVIVAH
      1 Haggadah9 Clips
      contributor image
      The Blue Dove Foundation
      12 Clips
      contributor image
      ReformJudaism.org
      24 Clips
      contributor image
      Jewish Emergent Network
      1 Haggadah22 Clips

      Passover Guide

      Hosting your first Passover Seder? Not sure what food to serve? Curious to
      know more about the holiday? Explore our Passover 101 Guide for answers
      to all of your questions.

      Haggadot

      Haggadot.com by Recustom, is a free resource for all backgrounds and experiences. Consider making a donation to help support the continuation of this free platform.

      Copyright © 2024 Custom and Craft Jewish Rituals Inc, dba Recustom, dba Haggadot.com.
      All Rights Reserved. 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. EIN: 82-4765805.