Slaves

October 31, 2001

Life for a slave was completely under the control of another person who wanted no more than to get the most and give the least possible. These individuals made the slaves' lives difficult and entirely unrewarding, so that the only goal for slaves became putting punishment off for yet another day. Slaves were treated almost worse than cattle; they worked twice as hard for the same expense. In every aspect they were mere property, from the laws that governed their lives to their daily treatment. Work was endless, living conditions were unthinkable, and there was always a lack of food.

The work they were expected to do was grueling, repetitive, and lasted all day. An hour before dawn they were awakened, and as soon as it was possible for them to see they were out in the fields. They worked all day with no more than one short lunch break, until it was dark again and even longer if the moon shone brightly enough. They ploughed, planted, gathered corn, and pulled and burned stalks. The field work was strenuous. Along with their duties in the fields, they were expected to complete other chores as well, such as feeding animals, cutting wood, and packing the previously picked cotton. Off-season duties included cleaning, mending, and building.

Slaves living conditions were terrible. Their homes were log huts with dirt floors, tattered roofs, and only small board beds as furniture. Clothing was kept to the bare minimum and made to last as long as possible. In the summer, a pair of trousers, and in the fall woolen pants, jacket, and two shirts, were the average allowance. Whippings and floggings were almost a daily ritual on most plantations. These could be brought about by a look, a word, a simple mistake, an accident, or seeming to want power.

Food was rationed once a week in miniscule proportions. As was the case in one documented plantation, three and a half pounds of bacon and just enough corn for some meal were supplied; others were quite similar. The rations were never enough and hunger was always present. As a result of the shortage of food, stealing was very common among the slaves. Slaves could not grow or gather any food for themselves. Even the food they got was of poor qualty or was rotten.

And so the slave owner got as much as he could out of the slave while giving as little as possible, just as other property was treated. Slave lives were short and miserable. The hard work, terrible conditions of everyday life, and the shortage of food all culminated in filling numerous lives with endless suffering, hardship, fear, and pain, both physically and emotionally. All these were always relentlessly present in the harsh plantation life.