Chương 39: The Ordinary Folks in Virginia
Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
July 4th, 1776
"Morning, Jim!"
Jim Davis looked up to see George Young walk towards his small general store. Young was a farmer who owned a plot of land outside of Richmond and often visited the town to sell his goods or travel through Richmond towards the port town of Norfolk. Recently, the farmer stayed near Richmond instead of journeying east to Norfolk due to the recent British raid on the coastal town. Davis saw the man more frequently in town and often interacted with him due to Davis' ownership of the only general store in Richmond.
"Good morning George," Davis replied with a smile, "You're looking awfully bright today. Did something happen?"
"Sure did! You know how Mr. Hunter recently fled from Virginia and to the Caribbean colonies, well, I managed to buy a part of his plantation! It's a mighty fine piece of land too, since the part that I bought wasn't used to grow tobacco, so the soil is still good for growing."
Jonathan Hunter had been a regular at his store before his departure from the colony. The man was a plantation owner with over two hundred slaves and was very well off too. However, ever since the news leaked from about Colonel Marion and the brutalities of slavery in the other southern colonies, slave owners were looked down upon with disgust. Regardless of their previous social status or wealth, many slave owners were suspected of mistreating and oppressing their slaves. To many, even in Virginia, the idea of slavery seemed to run contrary to everything that the Declaration of Independence stood for. The fact that Thomas Jefferson, a man greatly respected across the colonies, was one of the writers of the Declaration and even freed his slaves immediately after only stoked the flames of abolition further.
Davis had heard the Declaration of Independence through a town crier, and like many that listened to the words of the document, he was shocked at the notion of achieving independence from Britain. But as the months wore on, it was clear that independence was the right choice after all. His business was hurt because the British decided to bombard coastal cities, which slowed trade and limited imports of goods for his store. Colonel Marion's execution of black soldiers, soldiers fighting for independence and, to an extent, for his colony, deeply troubled him. The newspapers portrayed the brave men staring down the colonel fearlessly even in the face of death. And with additional stories and pictures (and good God, the drawings), the reality behind the institution of slavery was shockingly revealed to him. Plantation owners hanged several of their own slaves to serve as an example so the other slaves wouldn't run free. Slave owners were forcefully conscripting their slaves to fight for the Loyalists and shot any that attempted to escape. And the conditions they were in when the Yellow Marshal and his Marines liberated them were unsightly. He never really had an opinion on slavery before; his thoughts were usually focused on running the store and providing for his wife and three children. Yet as he learned the cruel realities behind slavery, Davis started to grow into an abolitionist himself.
And naturally, Hunter, one of the biggest plantation owners nearby, drew ire from him. While Davis was not outright hostile to the man, he grew weary of the possibility that Hunter was just as sadistic and cruel as the plantation owners he read and heard about in the southernmost colonies. Davis wasn't the only one to think this either; many of the thousand or so residents of Richmond had heard and read the same news and stories he did and looked at the slave owners (especially those that had dozens of slaves) differently.
After social isolation and pressure, Hunter sold his plantation to the colony and fled Virginia with his belongings and family. Before he left, Davis overheard that he was planning to move to Jamaica.
"That's wonderful to hear, George. I guess that means you'll be buying more goods from my store then?"
The farmer gave him a crooked grin, "Possibly! I'll need to get some field hands to help out on my farm. My boys are only ten and nine, so they can't help as much. I was thinking of hiring some of Hunter's former slaves for the job. What do you think?"
Hunter took around ten personal slaves with him, but the rest were left behind in Virginia. Before he left, he left behind a signed document saying that his slaves were now free. As such, the one hundred and ninety or so former slaves were now working on nearby farms or looking for jobs by themselves.
"They might know a thing or two about Hunter's former lands, so that may be a good idea," Davis admitted. He leaned over close to Young and whispered near his ears, "And I heard rumors that the Yellow Marshal himself will compensate anyone that decently pays and provides for former slaves handsomely."
Young looked surprised and looked around before speaking, "Where did you hear that rumor?"
"A friend of mine came back home from South Carolina after he suffered an injury in battle. The poor lad, he broke his leg, and he's on crutches now. But before he was sent home, he heard stories of General Kim and his marines marching through swathes of South Carolina and Georgia, freeing any slaves they saw and compensating slave owners that freed their slaves willingly. So perhaps he may do the same for those that have slaves in the other colonies. Or in your case, treat former slaves well."
"I don't have much right now, but we'll see after I make more money from the farm," Young shrugged, "Besides, the last thing I want is to be one of those dirty, no good slavers that treat people like animals."
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