Bellwork
• The African American population in the
south—primarily the slaves—outnumbered
the slave owners in almost every situation.
With that in mind, answer one of the two
questions:
– How do you think the slave owners kept control of
the slaves?
– Why do you think slaves generally chose not to
openly rebel?
American History
Section 10, Unit 3
The Slave System
Objectives
• Describe what life was like for slave laborers
• Explain how slave owners controlled their
slaves
• Determine how African Americans resisted
and coped with slavery through discussion
and by analyzing a video
Slave System
• Slavery dominated southern society and slaves
continuously resisted in many ways.
• Some openly rebelled against slavery while
others quietly sabotaged the work.
• Regardless, in the face of such brutality, slaves
continuously pushed to strengthen their
family and cultural ties in an effort to survive.
Slave labor
• Most enslaved African Americans– around
75%-- lived and worked on plantations and
farms.
• Those who did not worked as skilled
seamstresses, weavers, and carpenters.
• Some slave labor was hired out to employers
who ran mines, ironworks, factories and mills.
Slave labor
• Some slaves worked on
public works, such as
building roads and
canals, mining rocks, or
draining swampland.
• Others worked in the
bustling naval trade
industry, working on
docks or loading and
unloading ships in
southern ports.
Slave labor
• City slaves tended to
live a less grim
existence than those
who worked the fields.
• Field slaves worked
from dawn to dusk,
averaging anything from
18-20 hours of work a
day during the harvest
season.
Slave labor
• Other plantation slaves– especially women–
worked in the home and were maids, cooks,
or nannies.
• Others did sewing or laundry.
• Male slaves also worked as wheelwrights,
coach drivers, gardeners, or in other skilled
areas.
Slave labor
• On smaller farms, slaveholders would
supervise directly, unlike larger plantations.
• On plantations, overseers– who were usually
related to the planter or were small farmers–
managed the slaves.
• Drivers, who assisted the overseers in
supervision, were almost always slaves
themselves.
Slave labor
• Drivers– because they were slaves– had the
difficult job of being between the master and
the slave.
– Some were even expected to handle a whip if
necessary.
Question: How do you think other slaves felt about the drivers?
• While a driver might have been popular with a slave
master, other slaves may have had a general disdain
for the driver.
Slave labor
• Slaves were often
organized into tight
work crews– referred to
as gang labor– which
allowed a driver to be a
foreman of the group.
• Each group was
expected to do
specialized jobs, such as
plowing, picking, etc.
African American Nanny
with child
Slave Life
• To make a profit on slave labor, planters had to
make sure the slaves were fed, clothed, and
free from illness.
• Masters valued their “property” because each
slave would cost around $1,800 at the time.
• A death or serious injury of a slave was a
major financial blow to a planter.
Slave Life
• Many slaves did fall to illnesses, especially
infectious diseases.
• Pneumonia and dysentery were widespread
and malnutrition often led to dental and other
health problems.
Slave Life
• Slaves lived in cramped
and sparsely furnished
conditions.
• An entire family could
live in a one-room log
cabin with nothing
more than a fireplace.
• The cabins were often
poorly built, meaning
they were quite cold in
the harsh winters.
Slave Life
• Food was rationed in most plantations.
• Ben Horry, a former slave, explained that on
every Saturday, every slave would line up at
the smokehouse to get a share of meat, rice,
grits, and meal.
• However, this was never enough to feed an
entire family.
Question: If there is not enough food, what might
slaves do to survive?
Slave Life
• Because food rations were never enough,
slaves often fished or hunted when they were
able or grew foods on small farms they built in
designated areas.
• House slaves sometimes got food from the
kitchen while others had to resort to stealing.
Slave Life
• Slaves’ clothing was generally
simple.
• It was usually made of a
coarse woolen or linen or
cotton material similar to
burlap.
• Most slaves were given two
outfits a year, one for summer
and one for winter.
– As well, these slaves might get
one pair of shoes a year and
when those wore out, they went
barefoot.
Slave Life
• House slaves tended to
be better dressed,
however.
• Expectations of house
slaves usually were
different than those of
the field hands, meaning
they usually dressed well.
– Their clothing was often
second hand from the
planters family, meaning it
was usually well made.
Treatment of Slaves
Question: How do you think slaves were treated? Keep in mind, they are a financial
investment.
• Some slaves lived much better lives than others.
• Living conditions and treatment varied from
owner to owner.
• Because slaves were a financial investment, some
slave owners had no interest in harming their
slaves, fearing that doing so could cripple their
ability to work.
Treatment of slaves
• On some plantations, planters used rewards to
get the slaves to work.
• These planters may have used money, gifts,
extra food or clothing as a way to incentivize
their slaves to work harder.
– Slaves could also earn privileges or receive easier
work– such as becoming a house slave.
Treatment of slaves
• Other planters used or threatened violence to
get obedience.
• If slaves were late or did not work hard
enough, overseers could be brutal.
“[The box] was made the height of the person and no
larger. Just large enough so the person didn’t have to be
squeezed in. The box is nailed and in the summer is put
the hot sun; in winter it is put in the coldest, dampest
place.”
--Prince Smith, former slave
Treatment of slaves
• Sometimes slaveholders
disciplined slaves with
extra work or reduced
rations, but whipping was
also common.
• Some slaves tried to resist
the masters will when
being whipped, such as by
not crying out.
Treatment of slaves
• Slaves who resisted authority or showed signs
of independence were whipped.
• If discipline did not work, however, they might
be sold off away from their family.
Treatment of slaves
• Slave marriages in the
South had no legal
standing. Because of this,
slaveholders would
sometimes break apart a
slave couple by selling
one, but not the other.
• As well, because slaves
sold better when being
sold separately, children
were often sold away
from parents and siblings.
Solomon Northup
• Solomon Northup, a free northern African who was
kidnapped and became a slave for 12 years, described one
scene:
“The afflicted mother.. Kept on begging and
beseeching them, most piteously, not to separate
the three. Over and over again she told them how
she loved her boy… But it was to no avail… Then
[the mother] ran to [her son]… told him to
remember her– all the while tears falling in the
boy’s face like rain…”
Treatment of slaves
• Slave codes– which covered all aspects of
slave lives– kept slaves legally powerless.
• Slaves could not testify against whites, own
property, have firearms, or leave plantations
without a pass.
• Any white person could stop any black person
and demand to see proof of free status or
permission to be away from the plantation.
– White patrols roamed the rural South to enforce
the laws and apprehend escaping slaves.
Resistance
• In the face of such
horrible conditions,
slaves used several
strategies to improve
their lives.
• Some ways were quiet
while others were
complete open
rebellions.
Resistance
• In the first half the 19th century, there were
several small uprisings in the South.
• While none of these early uprisings led into
anything, they did strike fear into many
southern whites.
• Slaveholders knew their power was based on
force; but they also knew that the slave
population– in many cases- was double the
white population.
Resistance
• In 1831, White southerner’s fears came to
fruition.
• Nat Turner, a deeply religious slave, believed
that he had received visions from God that
told him to free the slaves.
• He planned his rebellion on July 4, 1831.
Resistance
• In 1831, Turner and a small band of rebels
killed Turner’s master and his family and
about 60 other whites in the area.
• The state militia and local whites organized
into a hunt for Turner, killing about 100 slaves
during the time it took to find him.
Resistance
• Nat Turner was
captured in November
and– after not pleading
guilty in a trial– was
hanged November 11,
1831.
• Ironically, instead of
freeing the slaves, Nat
Turner’s rebellion only
made the lives of many
slaves more difficult.
Resistance
• Nat Turner’s rebellion caused some states to
pass stricter slave codes.
• These codes made it illegal to teach slaves to
read and place more restrictions on slave’s
movements.
• Some whites also took the law into their own
hands, capturing, beating, or killing slaves at
will.
Resistance
• While open rebellion was rare, slaves
sometimes protested through individual
action.
• They might have fake an illness, slowed their
pace, or damaged tools.
• Desperate slaves, however, sometimes
mutilated themselves in the hope of being
unable to work or be sold--- others simply
committed suicide.
Resistance
• However, one of the most tempting forms of
resistance was simply running away.
• Chances of success were slim, and
punishment was brutal for slaves who got
caught.
Question
Does anyone know who
this is?
If you don’t, think of the
Underground Railroad.
The woman standing here
in Harriet Tubman, who we
will discuss in a moment.
Underground Railroad
• Aid for escaping came from the Underground
Railroad, a network of white and black
abolitionists who helped slaves escape to the
North or to Canada.
• Escaping slaves made their way slowly out of
the South, hidden in attics and haylofts by day
and taken by “conductors” to the next safe
house at night.
Underground Railroad
• Most slaves were smuggled on foot, but as
more and more began to make the attempt,
the conductors would smuggle them in
covered wagons or inside crates.
Underground Railroad
• The conductors on the Underground Railroad
helped thousands of slaves gain their
freedom.
• Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave herself, was
the most famous and successful conductor.
• Risking her own freedom, Tubman freed more
than 300 slaves during the 19 trips she made
to the South.
Underground Railroad
• Despite the daring of many slaves, many
fugitives were captured and turned into their
masters.
• However, during the time the Underground
Railroad operated, it is estimated that
anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 slaves were
taken to the North or Canada between 1810
and 1850.
Slave Culture
• Although slaves lives were controlled for most
of the day, their lives were their own when
not working.
• Slaves devoted time to family and community,
creating a unique African American culture.
• This culture blended the customs of a variety
of African groups.
Family
• Preserving family ties
was difficult for slaves.
• In response, slaves
extended their family
ties to include distant
and close relatives.
• Nonrelated individuals
also shared in the ties,
being known as aunts
and uncles to the
children.
Religion
• Religion played a vital role in the lives of
enslaved African Americans.
• Many worship services blended Christianity
with traditional African beliefs.
• Christianity, for many slaves, helped them
cope with their present situation in the hopes
of salvation in the afterlife.
Religion
• Central to slave religion
was the idea that they
were God’s chosen
people, who were
expected to reach the
“promised land”, like
the Hebrews before
them.
Religion
• Unlike white ministers who preached
obedience to their slave masters, African
American preachers spoke about what was
close to their hearts.
• However, because of Nat Turner’s rebellion,
many masters stopped allowing slaves to
congregate, even for religious purposes.
Religion
• Slaveholders feared that
slaves would take the
chance to plan
rebellion.
• Slaves continued to
hold gatherings, but
they took to hiding in
the woods or in secret
to avoid detection.
"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep
respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you
would serve Christ" (Ephesians 6:5)– a
common type of teaching white masters
would give to their slaves.
Religion
• As part of their Christian faith, slaves also sang
haunting songs called spirituals.
• These songs– also called “sorrow songs”–
were sung during work, relaxation, and
worship and often covered the ideals of
freedom and enslavement.
– Many songs were modeled after Christian
hymnes.
Folktales
• Slaves used folktales as an important means of
passing down their culture.
• The folktales were based on African stories,
but related to local situations, family histories,
and personal experiences.
• Most of the tales involved everyday
relationships– such as a parents love,
misbehaving children, and more.
Folktales
• Some folktales also covered moral issues.
• In these, they warned of excessive pride or
stressed the ideals of cooperation and love.
Folktales
• Storytelling, especially
the use of animal
tricksters, gave slaves a
way of talking about
whites and slavery in a
guarded form.
• These tales were often
humorous and entailed
a stronger animal
attempting to trap a
weaker animal.
Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox:
two characters from the
Uncle Remus Folktales.
Brer Rabbit
• What we are going to do,
is we are going to watch a
video about an African
folktale. The video is from
the controversial Disney
movie Song of the South.
• During the clip, please
consider the following:
who does Brer Rabbit
represent? Who do Brer
Fox and Brer Bear
represent?
Folktales
• In the video we watched, who did Brer Rabbit
represent and who did Brer Fox and Brer Bear
represent?
To openly discuss slavery, the slaves often modeled the
weaker animal after themselves– such Brer Rabbit– and the
stronger animals after the slaveholders.
The story, however, often focuses on how the weaker animal
outsmarts or tricks the stronger animals to gain wealth,
success, or power.
Folktales
• Trickster tales– like the Uncle Remus stories–.
allowed African Americans to face the harsh
master-slave relationship
• Laughter helped them deal with painful
situations, allowing them to endure slavery.
Slavery
• Stories, religion, and family life helped slaves
resist against one of the most horrible forms
of systemic abuse in American history.
• In this, they maintained hope and continued
to face the overwhelming abuse that they
faced on a day-to-day basis.
• However, slowly, things were beginning to
change as Americans began to see the world
around them differently.
Review Objectives
• Describe what life was like for slave laborers
• Explain how slave owners controlled their
slaves
• Determine how African Americans resisted
and coped with slavery through discussion
and by analyzing a video
Questions
• If you have any questions, please ask now.
Next lesson
• In the next lesson we are going to discuss the
push for abolition of slavery
Review
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
In what ways were house slaves and field slaves different? Think
of at least (2) ways their experiences may have been different.
What kinds of work did slaves perform in the South?
Why were some slaves actually treated somewhat well by slave
owners? In what ways were they treated “well”?
How did Nat Turner’s rebellion possibly hurt slaves more than help
them? Explain your answer.
Why were drivers often disliked amongst the other slaves?
What strategies did slaves use to resist slavery? Give at least 3
strategies and explain them.
Why would slaveholders use cruel punishments– like a sweatbox–
to keep control of their slaves?
How did folktales help African slaves deal with the horrendous
situation they lived in?
If you were a slave in the 1800’s and you had the opportunity to
escape on the Underground Railroad, would you have? Why? If
you choose to go, what might happen if you were captured?