LIFE AS A SLAVEIN THE ANTEBELLUM SOUTH

WHAT DO YOU THINK

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS TRUE OR FALSE

1. MORE THAN ½ OF WHITE PEOPLE IN GEORGIA OWNED 100 OR MORE SLAVES BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR.

2. ALL FARMERS IN GEORGIA USED SLAVES BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR.

3. SLAVES HAD AN EASY LIFE.

HOW MANY PEOPLE OWNED SLAVES?http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu

• In 1860 there were about 4 Million Slaves in the United States.

• 11.5 % of those slaves were in Georgia

• 1 % of them lived on large plantations with over 50 slaves

• 4 % lived on small plantations with 20-49 slaves

• 20% lived on small farms with 1-19 Slaves (most of these

farms had fewer than 5 slaves)

• 75% of the whites owned no slaves. These people were

poor whites and Yeoman Farmers that lived off of the land.

Slaves owned

50+ slaves 20-49 slaves 1-19 slaves 0 slaves

HOUSING•PROVIDED BASIC SHELTER

•ONE ROOM HUTS THAT HAD A FIREPLACE FOR HEATING AND COOKING.

•LOCATED AWAY FROM MAIN PLANTATION HOUSE.

CLOTHING • EACH SLAVE USUALLY ONLY HAD ONE SET OF CLOTHES AND ONE PAIR OF SHOES TO LAST ALL YEAR.

• CLOTHES WERE MADE FROM COARSE HEAVY MATERIAL.

• MEN WORE HEAVY PANTS, SHIRTS, UNDERGARMENTS, HEAVY DUTY SHOES AND SOCKS AND WIDE BRIM HATS.

• WOMEN WORE HEAVY SKIRTS AND BLOUSES, UNDERGARMENTS, STOCKINGS AND HEAVY SHOES AND A SCARF ON THEIR HEADS.

• THE CLOTHES RARELY FIT WELL.

• HOUSE SLAVES OFTEN HAD BETTER CLOTHING AS THEY WERE GIVEN HAND ME DOWNS FROM THE OWNERS FAMILY.

SLAVES DIET

• FATBACK, MOLASSES, CORNBREAD WERE THE STAPLES OF THE SLAVES DIET

• SOME PLANTATION OWNERS WOULD ALLOW SLAVES TO PLANT A SMALL GARDEN AND FISH IN PONDS AND STREAMS.

• SLAVES WERE OFTEN GIVEN SMALL GAME KILLED BY THE OWNER AS WELL.(RABBITS, SQUIRRELS, OPOSSUMS)

OVERSEER AND DRIVER • OVERSEER - WAS USUALLY A WHITE MAN

HIRED BY THE PLANTATION OWNER TO MANAGE THE DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS AND THE SLAVES.

• DRIVER - A TRUSTED (USUALLY OLDER ) SLAVE THOUGHT TO BE LOYAL TO THE OWNER WHOSE JOB IT WAS TO OVERSEE THE FIELD HANDS.

RICE• RICE - ON RICE PLANTATIONS THE SLAVES WERE

REQUIRED TO WORK LONG HOURS IN FLOODED SWAMPY FIELDS. THE SLAVES WERE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE 500 POUNDS OF RICE PER SEASON. THIS WAS SAID TO BE SOME OF THE HARDEST WORK.

WORK ON COTTON AND TOBACCO FARMS AND PLANTATIONS

• COTTON AND TOBACCO - ON THESE FARMS AND PLANTATIONS THE SLAVE HAD TO SPEND MANY HOURS CHOPPING COTTON AND KEEP THE WEEDS FROM TAKING OVER THE FIELDS.

• FROM AUGUST TO NOVEMBER THE SLAVES HARVESTED THE COTTON AS IT DID NOT ALL RIPEN AT THE SAME TIME.

• THE SLAVES WOULD SPEND ALL DAY BENT OVER PICKING COTTON BY HAND.

• THEY WORKED FROM SUN UP UNTIL SUNDOWN TO MAKE SURE NONE OF COTTON WENT TO WASTE.

• ADULTS AND CHILDREN ALIKE HAD SET AMOUNT OF COTTON THEY HAD TO BRING IN EACH DAY OR

WORK FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN

• WOMEN WORKED JUST AS HARD IF NOT HARDER THAN THE MEN. THEY WORKED IN THE FIELDS, THEY COOKED THE MEALS, MENDED THE CLOTHES AND WATCHED OVER THE CHILDREN.

• CHILDREN OFTEN WENT TO WORK AS YOUNG AS 5 YEARS OLD. THEY WOULD WORK IN THE FIELDS, GATHER NUTS, BERRIES, AND KINDLING FOR THE FIRE. SOMETIMES THEY WERE USED AS PLAYMATES FOR THE OWNERS CHILDREN.

PUNISHMENT• SLAVES WHO DID NOT PRODUCE ENOUGH OR TRIED TO RUN AWAY WERE PUNISHED.

• PUNISHMENTS WERE WHIPPING (OFTEN 50 TO 100 LASHES),SHACKLING, BRANDING, DUCKING UNDER WATER, GETTING PUT IN STOCKS, SLAPPING, KICKING, TARRING AND FEATHERING, AND TYING UP. RUN AWAY SLAVES WERE CHASED BY DOGS, AND WHEN CAUGHT, WERE HIT WITH PADDLES OR WHIPS OR GOT A BODY PART SUCH AS AN EAR CUT OFF. SOME SLAVES EVEN DIED FROM THESE PUNISHMENTS.

FAMILY LIFE• MARRIAGE WAS ENCOURAGED AMONG SLAVES.

• IF A SLAVE COULD NOT FIND A MATE ON HIS/HER PLANTATION OR FARM THEY WERE ALLOWED TO GO TO THE NEXT FARM OVER TO FIND ONE.

• CHILDREN BORN TO THE SLAVE COUPLE WERE THE PROPERTY OF THE FEMALE SLAVE’S OWNER.

• MARRIAGES WERE NOT LEGAL AND ALTHOUGH SLAVE OWNER TRIED TO KEEP FAMILIES TOGETHER THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE.

RELIGION• MOST SLAVES CONVERTED TO

CHRISTIANITY.

• SLAVES WOULD ATTEND CHURCH ON SUNDAY AT THE PLANTATION.

• SPIRITUAL SONGS SERVED TWO PURPOSES.

1. TO COMFORT THE SLAVES AND ASSURE THEM.

2. SOME SPIRITUALS CONTAINED MESSAGES ABOUT GAINING FREEDOM.

EDUCATION• EDUCATION DID NOT EXIST FOR

SLAVES.

• TEACHING A SLAVE TO READ WAS ILLEGAL.

• SOMETIMES OWNERS NEED THE SLAVE TO KNOW HOW TO READ LABELS AND WOULD TEACH THEM ANYWAY.

• AFTER THE 1831 REVOLT LEAD BY NAT TURNER STRONGER SLAVE CODES WERE ENACTED AND THE OWNER WOULD FACE FINES AND WHIPPING FOR TEACHING SLAVES TO READ.

SLAVE NARRATIVES

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