From Slavery to Freedom: What Makes the Impossible Possible?

I have found Armstead Robinson’s “Plans Dat Comed From God” to be a striking reading. I am interested in this text for many reasons. First, I have enjoyed reading about African American history in the specific context of Memphis. Second, I find it quite interesting how much influence religious leaders of the black community have had throughout history, which Robinson touches upon in his writing. Lastly, I am intrigued by the complex questions regarding the success of freed slaves’ assimilation into urban society. The recently freed slaves, without a doubt, possessed the exact capabilities of anyone else in America, but so many African Americans had not been given the opportunity to practice these abilities under the strict and severe control of a slave master. With the insight we have gleaned from our study of social history in this course, we are well aware of the impossible living conditions of the institution of slavery. It is difficult not to wonder how anyone - even the strongest person both mentally and physically - could have the wherewithal to continue and struggle through the new set of hardships which came with the transition into a free life.
It is perplexing to me that we still have not been able to fully answer the question of how the urbanization and institution building occurred so quickly and successfully amongst the newly freed African Americans. Robinson states, “Far from reaching agreement, the literature displays considerable confusion about the origins of institution building among former slaves” (72). Later in his writing, he offers an explanation for Memphis in particular which proves to be quite convincing. He mentions how Memphis offered many jobs related to the cotton industry, enabling recently freed slaves to use their well-practiced plantation training in the new urban workplace. He also claims that many former slaves had experience with “visiting southern towns” or “making contact with petty traders and merchants,” (86) allowing for a smoother transition into the urban marketplace. Lastly, the physical environment of Memphis made the transition from plantation to city life more doable. Memphis and the area directly around the city made for perfect cropping and gardening land, making food and sustenance more easily attainable when poverty and starvation were true risks. Although these three factors did not make for an easy transition, they certainly would have been helpful during a harrowing time of change.
Although Robinson makes a convincing claim for why certain aspects of Memphis made the transition from plantation life to urban life more smooth, his reasoning is seemingly unique to Memphis. This leaves us with the lingering question of how such widespread success in assimilating into urban life occurred. Without being an expert on the subject of this specific transition, I would feel confident making the assumption that African American churches were responsible for much of the success of former slaves entering a life of freedom and independence. The invisible institution of slave religion, with its theology of hope, was a crucial source of independence and encouragement within the confines of slavery. As we have recently learned and discussed, black churches played a significant role in raising money to build independent black schools before and after the Emancipation Proclamation. So much of black society was carried out through African American churches, where black people could exercise their intelligence and human power without being shut down by the oppressive surroundings. As a significant source of community, encouragement, strength in numbers, and opportunity, I would attribute much credit to religious institutions for making the transition from slavery to freedom possible. What would you attribute the success of the transition from slavery to freedom to? Did you find anything in the reading that particularly stood out to you? Did you think of another element of society that may have made this transition possible?