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Studying Atlantic Slavery from Qatar

Remembering Louisa

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Louisa Mahoney Mason, a 97-year-old woman, was born enslaved and left the world as a free woman.

This source spoke about a woman born a slave and was Jesuits' property in the Maryland Province. Louisa was meant to be one of the 84 people who were originally part of the 1838 Sale known worldwide. This sale was meant to accommodate twenty-nine thousand one hundred & sixty-three dollars; this sale was by Thomas Mulledy of Georgetown to Henry Johnson; this sale was to secure the payment. Mason was meant to be sent via Katherine Jackson the ship to the region near Georgetown College. However, 80 out of the 272 people remained in Maryland. 

Mason won the heart of the people enslaving her as a domestic servant in one of the houses that belonged to the Jesuits. This immensely benefited her because she was informed by a priest, Joseph Carberry, that "The Sale" will be taking place. Through this information, Mason and her mother were able to run into the woods and stay there till the fear was absent. Mason returned to Maryland and remained a slave they're till slavery was abolished.

Mason continued to face hardships in her life even after marrying a free man. Her husband, Alex Mason, was brutally murdered due to his race. There was no judgment for this murder due to no suspects, causing this case to be dropped. Mason continues to work till she couldn't anymore.

As Mason grew older, she was considered the source of information regarding the plantation and history. Despite her old age, Mason recalled several stories and pieces of information and passed them down to the newer generation. Throughout Mason's life, she kept contact with her other family members sent away as slaves due to The Slave.

This source is an obituary created to inform the people about Louisa and her life while enslaved after her emancipation. The source serves the simple purpose of being produced to inform people of that period about a lady who was a devoted slave. This source is an essential aspect of understanding "The Sale" mentioned in several documents recorded in that period. Through this source, we can view an example that not every slave was working and getting through each day but instead had an identity and was foremost. Mason's life is a particularly intriguing example of where slaves can live everyday life. This source provides in-depth details of her day-to-day life.

Enisha Sharma

Freshman GUQ'24

  1. Allain, Jean. "Contemporary Slavery and Its Definition in Law." In Contemporary Slavery: The Rhetoric of Global Human Rights Campaigns, edited by BUNTING ANNIE and QUIRK JOEL, 36-66. Ithaca; London: Cornell University Press, 2017. Accessed November 16, 2020. http://www.jstor.org.proxy.library.georgetown.edu/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1w1vjxf.6.
  2. "A Slave Auction In America.". 2020. Getty Images. Accessed November 17, 2020. https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-photo/slave-auction-in-america-news-photo/3350418.
  1. BOYD, RICK. “Many in Slave Sale Cited by Georgetown Toiled in Southern Md.” SoMdNews.com, October 3, 2016. Accessed November 16, https://www.somdnews.com/enterprise/spotlight/many-in-slave-sale-cited-by-georgetown-toiled-in-southern-md/article_410468dc-f7f7-5b7a-b961-493468ca7d2a.html.
  1. Brenda E. Stevenson. "INTRODUCTION: WOMEN, SLAVERY, AND THE ATLANTIC WORLD." The Journal of African American History98, no. 1 (2013): 1-6. Accessed November 16, 2020. doi:10.5323/jafriamerhist.98.1.0001.                                      
  2. Rochford, Paul. “Paul Rochford, ‘Louisa Mahoney Mason and Her Family’ (2020).” Georgetown Slavery Archive, 2020. Accessed November 15, 2020. https://slaveryarchive.georgetown.edu/items/show/503.

 

 

 

Remembering Louisa