Different justifications of slavery in "The Known World"

At the time Edward P. Jones's novel The Known World was set, slavery was the most powerful institution in the American South, stronger than even religion in its ability to determine what was morally acceptable. As it was such a lucrative business, it is no surprise that slave-holders wanted to keep it in place. However, by tracking the word "right" throughout the novel, it is evident that the white and black slave owners who appear have different motivations for maintaining this status quo.

When considering the white characters in this novel, it appears that to most of them, slavery is "right" because it keeps African American people, who are considered inferior, in their place, and allows the owners to profit. This is seen in many of the conversations involving the night patrolmen, whose job it is to make sure that slaves do not escape their plantations. For instance, when the powerful slave owner William Robbins is speaking to the patroller Sheriff Patterson, he explains that maintaining a "plantation fulla slaves" is necessary to keep "this world going right" (38). This occurs in light of two of Robbins's slaves being bought by a man Robbins believes to be an abolitionist, a "devil in disguise" (26). In fuming to Sheriff Patterson about how the supposed abolitionist has stolen his "property," Robbins reveals his belief that it is "right" for African American people to be subjugated to maintain a harmonious society.  Later when Skiffington becomes Sheriff, he speaks of the need of slave owners to keep a better eye on their slaves so that they do not run away. Explaining the inability of his patrollers to catch every slave that flees, he says that his men "are not angels, able to fly above and see wrong being committed and…turn the wrong into right" (94). The "right" Skiffington refers to is keeping slaves bound to their masters' land, and the "wrong" is the audacity of slaves in trying to escape their superior masters.

The black slave owner profiled in the novel, Henry Townsend, also wants the power that slavery brings, but does not necessarily believe that slaves are inherently inferior. In explaining to his parents why he has purchased his first slave, Henry explains that he has not done anything that a white man would not do (138). Perhaps Henry, thanks to a close upbringing with his former master Robbins, has come to see owning slaves as a necessary part of gaining respect and power in the south. Henry's wife's mother, Maude, too, repeatedly reminds her daughter Caldonia and Henry that they need to maintain their "legacy" of slaves, the "foundation of wealth (180). However, Henry does not treat his slaves like property--he even acts like a friend to Moses, his first slave, until Robbins reprimands him (123). It appears that Henry attempts to treat his slaves as humanely as possible while still despite using them to advance economically—that is, he tries to do the best he can given the constraints of society.