Negros

Factual Questions
1

What are issue-free Negros?

Thanks

2

Ummmmm … I can’t see I even understand the question.

3

I’m not sure that the phrase is always used consistently.

Two ways I have seen it:

  1. A black living in the antebellum South who was born to a non-slave black mother.

  2. A person of mixed-race who was not a slave in the antebelleum South.

4

I thought it was “free issue” not “issue-free.” “Free issue” makes more sense to me, meaning a free (not slave) issue (offspring) of a relationship between a slave and a free person. In most slave states, a child born to a free mother (of any race) and a slave father was free by birth. However, a child born to a slave mother and a free father (of any race) was a slave by birth.

5

‘Issue-free’ is a pretty funny phrase, though.

  "Hi, I'm happy and well-adjusted. Life is good and I enjoy it. I'm **issue-free**."
6

A person of african american heritage that has no complaints about anything??
Pretty much what bibliophage wrote. Both terms are correct, and the definition varied depending on the area, but in general, it meant someone of black ancestry who’s mother was free, and the father was a slave, even if he had been emancipated prior to the birth. It was also sometimes applied to a baby between a slave mother and white father, if the father chose to free the baby at birth, even if the mother was still a slave.

7

http://www.tngenweb.org/tncolor/colornam.htm
What ’s in a Name?

"Free Issue, Free Issue Negro:
A Black or mixed-race person free by manumission or birth; especially the child of a White woman and a Black man. Commonly used in Virginia and the Carolinas.

Black Dutch:
Probably, originally white Europeans with pure black features (hair). This term has also been applied to persons with mixed racial heritage.

Free Issue, Free Issue Negro:
A Black or mixed-race person free by manumission or birth; especially the child of a White woman and a Black man. Commonly used in Virginia and the Carolinas.

Free Man of Color (F.M.C.), Free Person(s) of Color, Free Woman of Color (F.W.C.), etc.:
A Black person, not a slave; a person having one Black and one White parent. Used especially in Louisiana.

Free Mixture:
Probably a person, not a slave, being part Black, and being part White and/or Indian.
Griff, Griffe, Griffane, Griffin:
Offspring of a White and a Black. Used especially in Louisiana.

Half and Half:
A person of mixed blood; a half breed. Part Indian or part Black.

Half Breed, Half Blood, Half Blooded:
The child of an Indian and a White parent. May be applied to people who are part Black.

High Yellow: (pronounced, high yalla or high yaller)
A light-skinned black person. Some say “mostly white.”
Maroon:
For our purposes, a fugitive or runaway slave, one who joined with the Seminole in Florida. Earlier, this word was applied to fugitive black slaves in the West Indies and Dutch Guiana. Interestingly, the word origins of Maroon in this usage is from certain Spanish words: symeron, > cimarron, > cimarrón, meaning wild, free, a runaway person. It is possible that the term maroon may have been misapplied as a color. Maroon is a very dark brownish-red or chestnut color.

Melungeon:
Seemingly, a person of mixed racial heritage. Probably, white, Negro, and Native American heritage. Common usage in East Tennessee.

Mulatto:
A person who is one-half Negro, one-half white. The child of one white parent and one Negro parent. From the Spanish and Portuguese word mulato meaning young mule. The mule is of course, one half horse and one half donkey, a hybrid.

Octoroon:
A person who is one-eighth Negro, seven-eighths white. The child of one white parent and a quadroon. From the Latin word octo meaning eighth.

Quadroon:
A person who is one-quarter Negro, three-quarters white. The child of one white parent and a mulatto. From the Latin quartus; >Spanish cuarto, cuarteron, meaning fourth."

etc…

8

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by astro *
**http://www.tngenweb.org/tncolor/colornam.htm

Maroon:
For our purposes, a fugitive or runaway slave, one who joined with the Seminole in Florida. Earlier, this word was applied to fugitive black slaves in the West Indies and Dutch Guiana. Interestingly, the word origins of Maroon in this usage is from certain Spanish words: symeron, > cimarron, > cimarrón, meaning wild, free, a runaway person. It is possible that the term maroon may have been misapplied as a color. Maroon is a very dark brownish-red or chestnut color.

Jeez… when I sign off as Mama Maroon I was thinking more in the Bugs Bunny frame of mind.

9

There are still Maroons living in Jamaica who are descended from runaway slaves and pride themselves on their West African heritage. They have something like reservation status in that country with their own local government leaders. There are still Twi tribal words in their language and some of their foods are typical of W. Africa.