Historical accounts glorify slaveholders while erasing the enslaved who built their wealth

Evidence

A blog on the American Revolution in the South had an excerpt about Thomas Taylor, calling him “one of the most influential men” in South Carolina, and then citing his accomplishments. He served as a captain in the Revolutionary War before serving as governor of South Carolina and then was a commissioner who was responsible for planning the city of Columbia. In this illustrious list, there’s only one mention of the people he enslaved. “Of Mrs Taylor, it is said she bore all the responsibilities of the family while he was away in the field,” that the British “carried off her slaves,” and that “her provisions and stock were stolen.” The language throughout the entire piece was carefully chosen to protect and glorify the Taylor family, whereas my loved ones were clumped together in one objectifying word. — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 394

Categorization

• QUESTION: Contrast the chosen-language framing here (enslaved people ‘carried off’ like stock) with the archives’ documentary record the reader wants to trace.
• CANDY: A colonial governor’s wife is described as bearing responsibility while the enslaved who were stolen are lumped into one objectifying noun.