Lesson 125: John McDonogh’s Experiment
No writing assignment.
Reading assignment: “John McDonogh’s Experiment.” Download here [download id=”52175″]
This is a forgotten document. Almost no one has ever read it. Even specialists in American history have never heard of it. I came across the story in the late 1960’s. I discovered the document in 2014. It was reprinted by the Cornell University Library Digital Collections.
This was an experiment in how to make slaves efficient workers. This experiment began in 1822. He kept it secret until 1842, when it was revealed to the people on New Orleans. It ended in 1850, when McDonogh died. At that time, he was the richest planter in Louisiana. He was the largest landholder. He owned all of the land surrounding the city. He had the most efficient plantation in the history of American slavery. He had the most efficient slaves.
His experiment worked, yet as far as we know, no plantation owner ever imitated it.