The following annotations to The Life and Sufferings of Leonard Black were compiled in the fall 2013 by Ezie Ozoma and Russell Towner, first-year students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as a class project in Professor William L. Andrews's First-Year Seminar on Slavery and Freedom in African American Literature and Film. We welcome any corrections, additions, or suggested revisions of these annotations. Send feedback to docsouth@listserv.unc.edu.
Page 5
Annarundel County —
county in Maryland; county seat
of which is Annapolis, the capital of Maryland.
Page 6
"peculiar institution"
—
a euphemism
for slavery.
Page 7
johnny-cake — cornmeal
flatcake originated by indigenous North Americans.
Methodist church — a Protestant
denomination of Christianity.
Page 8
pantaloons —
close-fitting trousers usually
having straps passing under the instep and worn especially in the 19th
century.
lindsey slip — an undergarment made of coarse, sturdy
fabric.
pot liquor — the
leftover broth in a pot after cooking greens.
Page 10
All is not gold that shines, nor
silver that glitters — well-known
saying derived from a line in William Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice
(1600).
collier — a producer of coal or maker of charcoal.
Baltimore — a port city in Maryland.
Page 11
hallooed —
to cry or shout.
Page 12
Hagar of Old —
Abraham's concubine and the
mother of his son Ishmael in the Old Testament book of Genesis.
"Thou, God, seest me." —
a common verse spoken by Hagar
from
Genesis 16:13.
Page 13
iron-toothed rake —
a tool used for yard work.
Page
15
Joseph and his brethren
— The most favored of the sons
of the
Hebrew
patriarch, Jacob.
Page 17
cowhide — a
strong heavy flexible whip, usually made of braided leather.
withal — in addition.
King Herod — Ruler of Judea in 37 BC, portrayed as
ruthless and cruel.
Ahab — seventh king of the northern kingdom of
Israel, portrayed as wicked in the Old Testament.
Beelzebub — A name for the Devil.
Page 19
pence — plural form of penny.
Page 20
St. James —
a letter in the New Testament.
"Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you." — James
4:7
"Give
us of your oil, for our lamps have gone out." — Matthew 25:8.
Page 21
Nantucket —
an island 30 miles south of Cape
Cod, Massachusetts.
Page 22
Judas — the betrayer of Jesus in the New
Testament; anyone who betrays another under the guise of friendship.
Page 24
Quaker — a member of the
Society of Friends, a radical Protestant sect of Christianity.
Boston — the capital of
Massachusetts and the largest city in New England.
Georgia — a state on the southern seacost of the
United States.
Page 26
grist mill — a mill for grinding grain.
Dutchman —
a native of Holland.
overruling Providence
— God
Page 27
Richmond —
the capital of Virginia.
Page 28
we
let ourselves out —
to work for someone for a
specified period of time in exchange for regular wages.
Brunswick — New Brunsick, a town in New Jersey.
gig — a light two-wheeled carriage pulled by
one horse.
Page 29
to catch a weasel asleep
—
people who are watchful and
always on the alert; or who cannot be
surprised.
New York
— a
state in the northeastern United States.
Page 30
Newark — largest city in the state of New
Jersey.
Page 33
Providence —
the capital of Rhode Island, United States.
bosom —
part of a garment that covers the chest or breasts.
dickey —
a collar for a shirt, usually worn with a tuxedo.
Page 35
frock —
a loose garment with wide sleeves, similar to a woman's dress.
Turk —
a person of Turkish descent.
Page 36
Portland —
the largest city in Maine.
West Indies — the string
of islands in the Caribbean Sea.
Page 37
board —
a person is
provided with a place to live as well as meals in
exchange for money or services.
Page 38
Belknap-street Church —
church in
Boston, Massachusetts, where Rev. Mr.
Black settled.
Page 39
Gospel —
the teaching of Christ.
Page 40
sons of men —
In the Old Testament a synonym for "man" or "humankind"
Page 41
President
Wayland —
Francis Wayland, educator and president of Brown University
in Providence, R.I.
Mr.
Ashur —
Jeremiah Ashur, African American Baptist clergyman.
Sabbath
School —
school meeting on Sundays for religious teaching.
Page 42
Zachariah —
an Old Testament prophet.
Woonsocket —
a city in Rhode Island; lies directly south of the
Massachusetts state line.
lock —
a device for raising and lowering boats between different
heights of water.
Page 43
Waterford —
a village one mile from Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
Page 44
victual —
food or provisions.
Page 45
Apostle Paul —
early Christian evangelist, author of a number of
letters in the New Testament.
Page 46
shorn lamb —
a lamb that has been sheared of its wool.
David
of old —
David, King of Israel, author of many Old Testament psalms.
"I
found trouble and sorrow, then called I upon the name of the Lord."
—
Psalms 116:3-4
Page 47
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, the son of man must be lifted up." —
John 3:14.
lamb —
symbol for Christ in the Bible.
Page 48
New Bedford —
a city in Massachusetts known for its large fishing port;
about 60 miles southeast of Boston.
Page 50
Holy Writ —
another term for the Holy Bible.
saith —
archaic third person singular present of say.
"Do unto all men as you would have
them do unto you" —
Matthew 7:12.
"Love thy neighbor as thyself. This
is the law and the prophets" —
Matthew 22:39-40
Page 51
chattels —
personal possessions.
Father of mercies —
God
Aye —
an affirmative answer or assent.
Page 52
Thomas Jefferson —
(1743-1826) American founding father and principle
author of the Declaration of Independence.
King Solomon —
a king of Israel (970-931 BC) and the son of David, the
second king of the United Kingdom of Israel.
Queen Bathsheba —
mother of Solomon, who succeeded David as
king.
Page 53
"He that despiseth you, despiseth
me."
—
Luke 10:16.
Page 54
massa —
master
lub — love
Page 56
scape-goat —
a sacrifice on which is laid the sins of others.
Page 58
Heaven —
a place of peace and rest for Christians who are saved.
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