Slaves Of The South example essay topic

Antebellum is defined at Dictionary. com as 'Belonging to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War. ' 1 In the Antebellum period in the South, many people owned slaves. In the south, plantations were 'the most basic unit and the most vital element of the Southern antebellum economy. ' 2 But at the heart of these plantations were the slaves. So vicariously, the slaves of the South were the most vital part of the Southern economy. Slaves, although taken from Africa, were still able to hold onto their religious traditions and beliefs.

They would incorporate their traditions into the Christian belief structure that the south had already setup. They kept their dances, chants, songs, etc. by disguising them into their master's religion, thereby ensuring that it would be passed down from generation to generation. The slaves weren't treated as even close to equals to their masters. Their masters would live in the mansion of the plantation, while the slaves would dwell in recklessly built cabins that were separated from the rest of the plantation. These quarters were where the African American culture began to take shape.

They began to be inspired to want what the white man wanted, and what they were denied. Slave labor was handed out by what each slave itself was capable of. If a slave were to finish a job early, he would be able to get the rest of the day off for recreational purposes. Not only that, but if a slave were to finish two jobs in one day, then he would receive the next day off. This day was commonly referred to as a 'Holiday. ' This rewards system created a more competitive edge to work in the fields, making the slave production increase.

This also made the slaves more content, and less persuaded to run. On the other hand, there were punishments also. 'Exceptional misbehavior also warranted the attention of the slave master and his wrath. ' 2 The beatings, whippings, etc. were unpredictable.

The beatings didn't need an explanation. It wasn't like the law was going to step in, because it was your property and you could do whatever you wanted with it. It would be like if you were to throw your computer out of a 10-story window. Its your property and you can do whatever you want with it. That was their view on slaves at the time. The plantation owners primarily bought the male slaves, for they were worth the most and could carry the most load of the genders.

But from high runaway rates of the male slaves, they started to buy the females. 'The main reason for the purchasing of slave women had definitely been for reasons that involved the slaveholder's sexual desires rather than the female's economic potential. ' 2 After a while, the male to female ratio of which the plantation owners bought evened out, and this actually did better for the plantation owners than they probably would have expected. As they bought more females and males, they would procreate, making more slave children for the prosperous growth of their plantation. Slaves were able to marry, and make families with each other on plantations. Hence 'A married male slave had more responsibility to his mate and children and therefore would be more deterred from trying to escape.

' 2 This fact made the plantation owners job a lot easier by not having to worry about escaping slaves as much. This marriage not only helped settle down the male slaves, but also passed on the African American heritage, and values. The slaves were allowed to name their own children, enabling the black community to thrive through the emancipation. When most think of the south and slavery, they think of everyone having huge plantations filled with hundreds of slaves. Quite the contrary, only about 1/4 of the southern whites didn't even own slaves, far less hundreds.

And of those 1/4, there only about 12% owned more than 20 of them. Although most southern whites that didn't own slaves, most did however believe in slavery. They just didn't have the money to buy them. They longed to be one of the elite and own slaves. Slaves had many jobs to do around the plantation... ' Enslaved people had to clear new land, dig ditches, cut and haul wood, slaughter livestock, and make repairs to buildings and tools.

In many instances, they worked as mechanics, blacksmiths, drivers, carpenters, and in other skilled trades. Black women carried the additional burden of caring for their families by cooking and taking care of the children, as well as spinning, weaving, and sewing. ' 3 Slaves suffered some bad conditions that I personally would never want to suffer through. Their diets were horrible, and were barely enough for them to survive considering their workload. They lived in slums that left them susceptible to bad weather and health conditions. These factors together made some slaves ill.

They did not normally receive treatment for these illnesses either. They would also be forced to do work while sick. Not just that, but they also had the threat of sale looming over their heads all of the time. Even if they had one of the 'nicer' type of masters, they knew if the farm came under financial difficulty that they could find themselves out on the auction block. Slave codes were laws setup by the government in order to keep order with the slaves. A slave could not legally 'testify in court against a white, make contracts, leave the plantation without permission, strike a white (even in self-defense), buy and sell goods, own firearms, gather without a white present, possess any anti-slavery literature, or visit the homes of whites or free blacks.

' 3 Most slaves worked on plantations, but about 20% of the slave population of the south worked in the cities. They often were only domestics, but they sometimes were tradesmen. Some were sold out to other people for a day or up to several years. Obviously nobody likes to be enslaved, so they did try to slow down the southern economic machine. They would destroy crops, dismantle machinery, slow their work pace, etc. Others went for a more direct approach.

They killed or mutilated themselves so that their property value would go down. Thousands of slaves ran away. They would hide in swamps or forests for weeks or months. Some escaped to the north where they would be free.

Slavery in the south was the economic heart. The slaves were treated as if they weren't human, and were only property. The Antebellum period in the South was an important period in history. It will never be forgotten. Sources Cited 1 URL: web URL: web URL: web.