Life+of+Slaves+in+Antebellum+America


 * Life on the Plantations: **
 * Plantations played an important role in the states of the Southern antebellum economy. "Without their existence of ingrained hierarchies, the institution of slavery would have most likely deteriorated and decayed," said Charles Joyner in an article called "Down by the Riverside". Half of the Southern whites didn't even own slaves, but the ones who did had 88% twenty or fewer slaves. There were many farmers who couldn't afford slaves. Many farmers who did not own slaves wanted slavery to remain because they knew that Southerners couldn't live without slave labor. They wanted to defend the institution of slavery, also, because it made them feel superior to the slaves. They felt superior because they were white, not black. They also felt superior because they were not slaves and didn't have to work for someone else. The poor farmers had freedom, unlike the slaves. The slaves were trapped and couldn't escape their slave master. **
 * The plantations managed and manipulated slave life. They massively affected the slave's religion, living conditions, work, and relationships. Slaves were always considered property because they were black. They never forgot that they were always considered property. The slaves couldn't practice their African culture and religion, so they tried to blend their native religion with Christianity. By doing this they wanted to protect their African culture and religion. They sang, dance, prayed, and chanted. African Americans wanted to pass down their religion from generation to generation. **

 Types of Slave Chores: Most slaves worked on cotton plantations. Most of the crops grown by slaves were cotton, rice, corn, sugarcane, and tobacco. Cotton was the main crop many slaves grew. They also grew many other crops on different plantations. Apart from planting and harvesting, slaves had an endless amount of chores to do. They were required to "clear new land, dig ditches, cut and haul wood, slaughter livestock, and make repairs to buildings and tools," written in Conditions of Antebellum America Slavery. Many worked as mechanics, blacksmiths, drivers, carpenters and in other skilled trades. Black women work was weaving, spinning, and sewing. In addition to that, they had to cook food and take care of their families. Besides working on the fields, some slaves worked inside their master's house taking care of their master's family. These people were known as house-servants. They were said to have easier work, but in some ways not. They could be called at anytime and anywhere, whenever their master called them. Also they barely had any privacy, unlike the slaves working on the fields. They were always being watched by their master. But on the other hand, they had an advantage. The white and black children formed a relationship among each other. They played with each other. This is an advantage because black children didn't have to work at such a young age. The little black children also formed relationships with their master/mistress, since they had no understanding of what this system was and how it worked.  

 The Cotton Boom:
 * In the early 1900's, the demand of cotton rapidly increased. In 1801, cotton increased 48 million pounds, in 1860 cotton increased 1,650 million pounds, and continued so on. The production of cotton in the United States was more than all other countries combined. The value of cotton exports was higher than all the other exports combined. There was a HUGE demand of cotton in foreign countries, especially Britain. The South produced the cotton. Now since there was a huge cotton boom, the economy of the South depended on cotton. Many wealthy owners were cotton planters and had slaves to do all the work for them. In the Antebellum period, most Southerners wanted to have an agricultural economy and a farm of their own. In the North, many people didn't have an agricultural economy because farm labor was scarce. While the demand of cotton increased rapidly, the demand of slaves increased rapidly. Slaves made of up about 50% of the population in the Cotton States! Soon the prices of slaves gradually increased. The slave labor and cotton production continued to advance till the Civil war because British demand continued to rise. "Meanwhile, the emphasis on cotton and slavery constrained innovation, industrialization, urbanization, educational progress, and immigration to the South," said Knut Oyangen in an article called "The Cotton Economy of the Old South." ** 



Treatment of Slaves: African American's "status as property was enforced by violence -- actual or threatened," written in an article called Conditions of Antebellum Slavery. P They slaves were never treated with equality. The master and slaves hated each other, no matter what! There never actually could form a relation. Some masters did care for their slaves, but the care was always limited. The power of slave masters and them feeling superior to the slaves always came in the way of their relationship. The slaves were given inadequate servings. They worked all day and maybe night, but only got a little amount in return. They worked in bad weather conditions, also. There were sicknesses spreading around rapidly because of heat and humidity. Diseases were also caused because of unsanitary conditions. The diseases were not even treated fairly. Even when the slaves were sick, they were forced to work. The most common disease was malaria. 90% of black children died. Child mortality rate was high. All slaves had a fear that always remained in their head. The fear was about being sold and having to be separated from their family. Many times their masters threatened them that they will sell them, just to make slaves work harder. The thought of being sold terrified the slaves. They could be separated from their brothers, sisters, parents, or grandparents. Slaves were punished for a number of reasons like running away, working slow, being late, ect. In these cases they were tortured, whipped, imprisoned, and sold. Sometimes, if they had a very cruel master, they were murdered. All of the punishments depended on what type of slave master they got. 