Kimberly Scott

Wednesday, March 26, 2003

The Pursuit of a Dream

Janet Sharp Herman

Mississippi History 411

1. In this book there is a dream trying to be achieved. First, Jefferson Davis tries to create an ideal society. This society would be one in which members would strive to make the society work for all of its participants. Davis leaves his job as a successful lawyer to implement this dream. He buys a plantation and slaves. Among his slaves he tries to construct this new society. The Civil War put an end to Davis’ pursuit of this dream. But all was not lost for it. Benjamin Montgomery, one of Davis’ former slaves, brought Davis’ land and tried to continue the dream himself. After a period of prosperity, the society again began to decline. His son Isaiah Montgomery moved himself and a number of Davis’ former slaves to a small settlement in the Mississippi Delta. The area later was named Mound Bayou and served to be the ideal society for post-war blacks. The colony prospered and later declined. The theme of the book was the ultimate achievement of the dream. No matter who was trying to execute it or where they were trying to achieve it, the dream was the most important element of the book. The author’s main points were the start of the dream, Davis’s persistent pursuit of the dream, and Montgomerys later taking the dream to another level.

2. Joseph Davis’ dream was an ideal society. This society would be an efficient, prosperous slave plantation. It would follow some of the less-radical guidelines of British social reformer Robert Owens. Davis had read Owen’s book A New View of Society and it helped influence his ideas. He wanted the society to be one in which the members wanted to participate to make it work. The slaves would not endure corporal punishment or be subject to physical and mental abuse. If a slave were to run away, instead of running away he would talk to them. He brought the plantation and set up a system to execute this dream. Slaves were only punished by a court of their own peers. There were fun and games once a week to keep them happy. He had a room full of prizes for good jobs. He let the slaves grow their own gardens and sell the excess to others for money. He allowed them to buy things at a local slave-owned store or get things from an occasional trip to New Orleans. They were allowed as well as encouraged to read. The slaves were allowed more freedom than their counterparts on other plantations.
3. Soon after the war began, union officers came and took over the plantation. They turned the area into a freedmen camp under the division of the Freedmen’s Bureau. They took ownership of the land from Davis and made it federal property. One would think that the Bureau would want slaves to be independent and strive to provide for themselves. The director of the camp at Davis Bend Samuel Thomas seemed as if he was intimidated by the educated and strong ex-slave Benjamin Montgomery. The blacks at Davis Bend wanted to operate the gin and Thomas would not allow it. After much debate and controversy, the blacks were still not able to operate the gin. When Montgomery wanted to re-open his store Montgomery & Sons after the war, Thomas did everything in his power to stop it. Shortly before the war, Davis and his family members had to leave Davis Bend. Not long after the overseer left. This left the slaves on their own for a while. Some of the former slaves took advantage of this and looted the Hurricane and Brierfield mansions. Some slaves left the plantation. A significant number tried to stay but had to leave because of the lack of food and certainty about the future. These slaves sought shelter at a place arranged for them By Joseph Davis in Hinds County, but the housing on this plantation was little more than shacks. Still there were some slaves who stayed and faithfully waited on the return of their loving master.
4. Benjamin Montgomery sought to implement the same dream as Joseph Davis. He wanted a model community that strives to be the best. He brought the Hurricane and Brierfield plantations from Joseph Davis. He started by advertising the colony in local publications. To keep the whites from becoming alarmed, he looked down upon black political activity. Even though there was great support for him, Montgomery never ran for political office. To help the new and old residents, he provided supplies and gave loans to get them started. He and some of the other plantation owners worked on levees to combat the increasing risk of flood. Montgomery did a few civil things, such as re-open the post office and apply for the area to have law enforcement. At first the colony experienced many difficulties. The cotton crop was bad due to flooding and a bad infection of the army worm. The Montgomerys’ were not able to make their annual interest payments on the Hurricane and Brierfield plantations. Then things began to look up for the area. The crop became good for a few years. There was time for recreation on the place. The Montgomerys’ were able to make their interest payments and keep up their good credit. But then bad times would eventually consume the place. Bad crop returns as well as an economic depression halted the good times. Heightening racial tensions worsened the problem for the blacks of the community. To make everything turn from bad to worst, Jefferson Davis sued for ownership of the Brierfield plantation. At first the case is thrown out of court, but his wishes are granted on appeal. The final blow came when Benjamin Montgomery, who had been in bad health since an injury, died on May 12, 1877.
5. After the seizure of the Brierfield plantation, Isaiah Montgomery, Benjamin’s younger son, moved his family to the Ursino plantation. Since he and his family were not able to make the payments on the land, it was auctioned off for sale. Isaiah tried to establish himself in Vicksburg, while his older brother Thorthan moved to Kansas to try out a utopian society in the North. With both men not succeeding at their goals, Isaiah brought a plot of land in the Mississippi Delta. He persuaded his brother, cousin, and some other ex-Davis slaves to join him in establishing a utopian community free from white oppression. They named it Mound Bayou. The settlers worked hard to make the newfound colony work. It started out very prosperous. They area had little or no crime for the first 20 years of it’s existence. It was incorporated in 1898. Businesses opened to serve to the growing population of blacks moving to the town. But as with the two previous pursuers of the dream, the dream prospered for a while but ultimately declined. After about 1930. Mound Bayou declined to its current state.
6. I learned that not all slaves were treated cruelly. The Davis slaves had freedoms that their counterparts on other plantations could only wish for. It also told me how and why Mound Bayou was founded. The book provided great historical insight, but it could overstate some facts. The gin controversy was over-dramatized. Also, the book made it seem as though most slaves were treated the way Davis’ slaves were. This was not the case. Also the book could have been a little more interesting. I would recommend the book to someone in a history class or for research, but not for everyday enjoyment.