They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South

Coverture is a legal doctrine that considered a married woman to be under the protection and authority of her husband. Penned by English jurist William Blackstone, coverture states that “the newly wed woman no longer needed an independent identity because, likening the husband to a bird, her groom offered her ‘cover’ under his wing” (25). Jones-Rogers provides various examples throughout the text of the ways in which slave-owning women navigated the legal doctrine of coverture to establish themselves as legally separate from their husbands. They sought to protect their property, namely their inheritance of enslaved people, from the indiscretions and authority of their husbands.

Also known as “courts of equity,” chancery courts aided women in their attempts to manage and control their property on their own. Originating in 14th century England, chancery courts differed from common law courts and often “treated married women as distinct persons, not as individuals joined in unity with their husbands” (45). Slave-owning women would rely on chancery courts to defend their property. Jones-Rogers lists multiple examples of slave-owning women who successfully navigated chancery courts.