Slavery in the South

Work on the Plantation Many different kinds of workers required Domestic Slaves: Housework – Cleaning, Cooking, Sewing, Doing Laundry, Serving Meals Artisan Slaves: Skilled Jobs – Blacksmiths, Carpenters, Shoemakers, Weavers, Barbers, Traders Slaves on Pastures – Tending the horses, cows, sheep, pigs Field Hands: Slaves on Plantations – Work from sunrise to sunset – Plant, Cultivate, Pick cotton and other crops – Supervised by an overseer: plantation manager

Living Under Slavery Long and grueling days to keep them busy Men and women did heavy fieldwork Children carried buckets of water until age 10 – Children over 10 were used for fieldwork Identification tags worn when slaves were rented to other masters Cabins made out of small logs (10 X 20 feet) 2-3 families share a cabin Heavy Iron shackles worn to punish workers (runaways) Few personal possessions

Life in the Slave Cabins Bare Necessities Few Comforts Log Huts with no floors Slept on the ground Huddled in a single room with dozens of other people Beds made out of straw and old rags pushed against the wall, boxed in with boards Single blanket (if lucky)

Family Life Constant uncertainty and danger Early American law in the early 1800s, didn’t protect enslaved families – At any given time, a wife or husband could be split up Slaveholder sells/trades them, dies and loses control Marriage between slaves not recognized – “Until death of separation do us part” – Always the possibility of being split up Established a network of relatives and friends – Create stability by creating an extended family – Important to the survival of slaves

African American Culture Fused African and American elements into a new culture for survival Growth of African American culture was from the birth of children in America 1808: Slave trade was outlawed – BUT, Slavery was still legal in the South – No new slaves could enter the U.S. 1860: Most slaves had been born in the U.S. – Held on to African traditions African music, dance, folk stories, dress Clothes: Wrapped head in colored cloths in African style Some kept traditional religious beliefs

Slave Codes Laws in the Southern states to control slaves Became more severe between 1830 and 1860 – 1700’s: Aimed to prevent slave rebellions Prohibits slaves – From assembling in large groups – From leaving their master’s property without a written pass – From learning how to read and write (can’t teach them)

Escaping Slavery Slaves tried to run away, only some succeeded – Find relatives on nearby plantations – Escape punishment Hard for slaves to get to the North – Most escapes were from the Upper South – Difficult from the Deep South The Underground Railroad – Network of “Safe Houses” owned by free blacks and whites Opposed slavery Offered assistance to runaway slaves Slaves rarely planned to escape to the North – Most were captured and returned to their owners Discipline: Most common was whipping

Heroes to Enslaved Africans Harriet Tubman – Born as a slave in Maryland Worked on a plantation until she was around 30 Escaped from the plantation with the help of the Underground Railroad – Made 19 trips to the South during the 1850s Helped over 300 people escape Most famous and successful conductor of the U. Railroad – Huge rewards offered for her arrest and capture Frederick Douglass – African American leader who helped slaves escape and published a Newspaper, the “North Star” – Gained his own freedom by escaping to the North

Abolitionists Abolitionist: A person who wanted to do away with slavery In the 1830's abolitionists began to speak out in public Sojourner Truth was a slave that was freed in She later spoke about the injustices of slavery William Lloyd Garrison (Boston) published a newspaper called The Liberator. Garrison used the newspaper to tell Congress and the world that slavery must be abolished. In 1833 Garrison and others formed the National Antislavery Society which published books and papers about slavery. In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin. In this book, she told stories about the cruelties of slavery based on what she saw on a Kentucky Plantation. This book was banned in the south, but widely read in the north. It later became a play.