Slave cultivating tobacco. Courtesy of nps.gov
Now, they have been segregated to their own church, their own schoolhouses and soon their own neighborhoods, but they were baptized with the same holy water with the same pastor as their white counterparts.
When the Moravians came to Salem, they did not immediately participate in purchase and use of enslaved labor. However, before long, a small number of Africans were purchased by the church to work alongside of the white Moravians. It was quickly decided that anything pertaining to the African residents, including purchasing more slaves would be overseen by the church elders.
This control extended to baptism converted slaves in Wachovia, which conferred to them all the rights of the congregation. However, by the end of the Revolution treatment of the colored Moravians began to change. They were no longer welcome after dark, and they had to live outside Salem in nearby Bethabara and Bethania. Soon, they were forced to sit away from the white Moravians during services, and later were moved to a separate church.
This is a tale like many Southern communities and even some in the North. Though more concerning for our town was its religious foundation. The Moravian faith did not allow the enslavement of people, let alone
those baptized into the church.
So, how did Salem come to have an enslaved population? Why did the church elders continue to allow it?
Older residents say it was because young, white Moravians no longer wanted to do the jobs their fathers had, so more slaves were needed to supplement the loss of labor.
Some say only “good” slaves were used because they were dedicated to the church and did not runaway. In many cases, these slaves begged not to be sold away from Salem because they were treated better than they would be elsewhere.
Some didn’t justify it at all, but were also under the control of the