What did plantation wives do? Other duties included preserving food and taking charge of the storeroom, doling out daily supplies for the main house as well as to each slave family on the property; and providing winter and summer clothing for everyone, white and black, sometimes even down to supervising the weaving and knitting.
What was plantation life like for plantation owners?
That's what Plantation life was like for Plantation Owners. After the civil war Plantation Owners found it hard to adjust to not having slaves, or power over their slaves. Most Plantation Owners went into poverty and couldn't support themselves. Some Plantation Owners did adjust to this change, and joined the cotton planting business.
What kind of jobs did slaves do on plantations?
Many slaves who lived in the lower South worked on cotton plantations. Some plantations raised more than one crop, including tobacco, rice, corn, and sugarcane, writes PBS. Plantations and farms required plenty of other physical labor not necessarily related to planting and harvesting, such as digging ditches and clearing fresh land.
What happened to plantation owners after the Civil War?
After the civil war Plantation Owners found it hard to adjust to not having slaves, or power over their slaves. Most Plantation Owners went into poverty and couldn't support themselves.
How did plantation owners identify their own slaves?
An easy way for plantation owners to identify their own slaves was to brand them, either on the shoulder, abdomen, back, or even the face. Branding was also done as punishment, and the act was common in the South.
What did plantation mistresses do?
Plantation mistresses used violence on a daily basis to manage and control enslaved people on their plantations. In all the seminal works on slavery, the voices of slaveholding women are noticeably silent.
What did plantation owners do?
Most plantation owners took an active part in the operations of the business. Surely they found time for leisurely activities like hunting, but on a daily basis they worked as well. The distance from one plantation to the next proved to be isolating, with consequences even for the richest class.
What did plantation owners do on a daily basis?
Historical Duties of a Plantation Owner Not only did the slaves work in the fields, but they also worked in hen houses, work sheds, barns, homes, gardens and silos to provide services and necessities for everyday life--from horseshoes to furniture and cloth.
What was life like for enslaved people on plantations?
Life on the fields meant working sunup to sundown six days a week and having food sometimes not suitable for an animal to eat. Plantation slaves lived in small shacks with a dirt floor and little or no furniture. Life on large plantations with a cruel overseer was oftentimes the worst.
How many hours did slaves sleep?
Sixteen to eighteen hours of work was the norm on most West Indian plantations, and during the season of sugarcane harvest, most slaves only got four hours of sleep.
What did slaves drink?
in which slaves obtained alcohol outside of the special occasions on which their masters allowed them to drink it. Some female house slaves were assigned to brew cider, beer, and/or brandy on their plantations.
What did slaves do for fun?
During their limited leisure hours, particularly on Sundays and holidays, slaves engaged in singing and dancing. Though slaves used a variety of musical instruments, they also engaged in the practice of "patting juba" or the clapping of hands in a highly complex and rhythmic fashion. A couple dancing.
What did slaves sleep?
Most slaves' cabins would have been outfitted with pallets for the adults to sleep on—children often slept on the floor—and perhaps wooden boxes or stools for sitting.
What were slaves not allowed to do?
There were numerous restrictions to enforce social control: slaves could not be away from their owner's premises without permission; they could not assemble unless a white person was present; they could not own firearms; they could not be taught to read or write, nor could they transmit or possess “inflammatory” ...
How did slaves cook their food?
Slaves could roast potatoes in hot ashes while wrapped in leaves, like they would with cornbread or ash-cake, or cook them over the fire with other foods. Nellie Smith, a former slave from Georgia, remembered her grandmother would bake potatoes alongside a roast.
What did slaves do to get punished?
Slaves were punished by whipping, shackling, hanging, beating, burning, mutilation, branding, rape, and imprisonment. Punishment was often meted out in response to disobedience or perceived infractions, but sometimes abuse was performed to re-assert the dominance of the master (or overseer) over the slave.
How often were slaves whipped?
twice a weekSometimes slaves are kept in the stocks two or three weeks, and whipped twice a week, and fed on gruel, because they run away or steal. Slaves have to go to the fields after being whipped, when their skin is so cut up that they have to keep all the time pulling their clothes away from the raw flesh.
What is the role of a plantation wife?
The role of a wife of a plantation owner was a big one to take on. Ideally, the “wife should be a junior economic partner to her husband” (Fraser 222). In that, the wife managed the smaller household, while the husband managed the actual plantation. If her husband was absent from the plantation for any stretch of time, his wife was expected to take over his affairs. Not all of his affairs, however, could be taken control of. According to Schwartz, “a common lapse in slaveholder marriages was the husband’s sexual relations with slaves, a practice that some southern white women expressed great bitterness in their private writings” (58). Wives had a right to be angry and bitter when they found more lighter skinned children running around the plantation.
What was the role of a mistress on a plantation?
According to Weiner, "plantation mistresses were responsible for supervising the activities of all the slaves engaged in plantation domestic work and insuring the smooth operation of domestic life" (376). Even though Southern wives are credited with domestic work, much of the time that work was actually not done by them. Instead, "it was enslaved women who quite literally got their hands dirty; washing, baking, ironing, nursing, and completing countless other domestic chores" (Fraser 219-220). They were in charge of deciding the meals for the day, making sure the domestic slaves were doing what they were supposed to, and if her husband was away, making sure business affairs were going well.
What was the ideal nineteenth century woman?
According to Weiner, the "ideal nineteenth century woman was to be devoted mother, loving wife, and guardian of moral virtue" (377). She was in charge of running domestic activities in the house, caring for her children, and being a loving and loyal wife. They were expected to smoothly run the house, wisely choose the meals, and prepare for social events. Caring for slaves was also a major part of Southern mistresses responsibilities.
What was the typical Southern belle's waist?
The "typical" Southern belle was expected to have a waist that was "cinched tight by laced corset, whose complexion was as white as moonlight on magnolia blossoms, and who fainted at the least crisis" (Atkins 93). As well as this, mistresses of plantations were expected to be harsh and bitter, like that of Margaret Weylin depicted in Octavia Butler's Kindred. It must have been difficult to maintain the cruel stereotype while also conforming to the "faint-hearted, weak, submissive, and naive belle" stereotype.
Who wrote the book Life of a Slave on a Southern Plantation?
Currie, Stephen. Life of a slave on a Southern plantation. San Diego, CA: Lucent Books, 2000. Print.
Why did plantation owners not have to worry about the crops or the chores?
They didn't have to worry about the crops or the chores because they had slaves to do that. In their spare time they would hunt and watch horse races, they would supervise the work on the plantation and had really high standereds that their slaves had to reach.
How did slaves get punished?
Their way of punishment was sending house slaves out to work in the fields, destroying their houses and gardens, and taking always holidays, sometimes they were thrown in “jail” or a dark room so they couldn't interact with other slaves. For some slaves depending on their master was a bit harsh. Some punishment included being sent out naked in January to do chores, some had iron ball and chain put on their ankle so they couldn't get away, and others were branded. Some masters depending on how nice or mean the master was whipping was a very common punishment, but for nice masters it was very rare. Sometimes the whipping can get so out of control that you can have severe injury or some slaves did die. Plantation owners could be nice and some could be very mean. That's what Plantation life was like for Plantation Owners. After the civil war Plantation Owners found it hard to adjust to not having slaves, or power over their slaves. Most Plantation Owners went into poverty and couldn't support themselves. Some Plantation Owners did adjust to this change, and joined the cotton planting business. Some Plantation Owners didn't know what to do with themselves, and had to sell their land. Life was very hard for plantaion owners, but some adjusted and some did not.
How many slaves did the South plantation owners own?
In the lower south there were about 393,967 slave owners in the South. The average plantation owned about 100 slaves. Their way of punishment was often not physical.
Why is it important to know how slaves lived during the Civil War?
It is very important to know how slaves lived during the Civil War because it really gives us an idea of how great of a life we live. Links:
What punishments did slaves get?
Some punishment included being sent out naked in January to do chores, some had iron ball and chain put on their ankle so they couldn't get away, and others were branded.
When was the picture of the slaves at Smith's Plantation Farm created?
Then the next day they would do the same thing. This picture was created in 1862 . These slaves are standing behind their “master” on Smith's Plantation Farm.
Why did the plantations have slave drivers?
Some large plantations required both a white overseer and a Black "slave driver" to keep the field workers focused on their daily tasks. Though overseers were hated, Black slave drivers received uncertain, mixed reactions from their fellow slaves, as well as the masters who hired them. Drivers were slaves in a position of power; they were both helpless and empowered, exerting authority on the very institution they were also bound.
Why did the plantation system start in the South?
The plantation system was first developed in the American South after it was colonized by British immigrants. Virginia specifically was divided into sections for farming on a large scale, which required people to work the land, writes National Geographic. Since the South had devised a crop-based economy for itself, plantations were inevitable. The necessity of labor led to slavery in the American colonies, though capture of Africans by the Portuguese had been occurring since the 1400s, notes Low Country Digital History Initiative.
How many slaves did Nat Turner kill?
Nat Turner, along with roughly 80 other slaves, killed 55 white people at 12 Virginia plantations in 1831, writes History. During his confession, Turner spoke about the slaves he planned the uprising with, saying, "I saluted them on coming up, and asked Will bow came be there. He answered, his life was worth no more than others, and his liberty as dear to him. I asked him if he thought to obtain it. He said he would, or lose his life. This was enough to put him in full confidence," as per his recorded "The Confessions of Nat Turner."
Why were slaves brought in each year?
New slaves were constantly brought in each year to replace those who had died. By the time a slave was 40, having worked since their teen years, they would appear to be near the end of their life, writes The Saint Laurentia Project .
What punishments did Henry Watson give to slaves?
The bell rack was one such punishment that was attached to the neck of a slave and topped with a bell that rang to alert the overseer or slave owner when a slave tried to escape (via the Library of Congress ). Former slave Henry Watson recounted his experiences working on a plantation and the various punishments he endured or witnessed in his book, " Narrative of Henry Watson ." "I was severely whipped with a cowskin, the scars of which punishment I have to this day, and then I was sent to the field to work ... each individual having a stated number of pounds of cotton to pick, the deficit of which was made up by as many lashes being applied to the poor slave's back as he was so unlucky as to fall short in the number of pounds of cotton which he was to have picked," he wrote. Watson went on to say that salt was often poured in the open wounds "till the blood was stanched" so the whipping could begin again.
How to identify slaves on a plantation?
An easy way for plantation owners to identify their own slaves was to brand them, either on the shoulder, abdomen, back, or even the face. Branding was also done as punishment, and the act was common in the South. Since the mark was intended to permanently scar the slave's body, this was yet another reminder that slaves were property, and on the same level as animals or market wares, notes Encyclopedia .
How many slaves flee to the North?
It's no surprise that slaves were desperate to escape their harsh treatment, and thanks to networks such as the Underground Railroad, it's estimated that some 100,000 slaves managed to successfully flee to the North (via the Kansas City Public Library ). For those not so fortunate, runaways who were caught could be whipped, shackled, and sold, among other forms of punishment.
Lucretia Clay
Wife of U.S. Senator Henry Clay Lucretia Hart was born March 18, 1781 in Hagerstown, Maryland into a wealthy and socially prominent family. She moved to Kentucky with her parents in 1784. Henry Clay was born on April 12, 1777, in Hanover County, Virginia to a middle-class family.
Sarah Dorsey
Louisiana Author and Plantation Owner Sarah Anne Ellis Dorsey was a novelist and historian from Louisiana. She published several novels and a highly regarded biography of Henry Watkins Allen, governor of Louisiana during the Civil War. It is considered an important contribution to the literature of the Lost Cause.
What did white women do after the Civil War?
After the Civil War, southern white women sought to recreate slavery through exploitative work contract s. Some also wrote books portraying the institution of slavery as gentle and benign—the most famous being Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, a woman born 35 years after abolition. Yet as Jones-Rogers argues in her book, it was not only white women’s “ideological and sentimental connections” to slavery that made them defend it. Scarlett O'Hara would’ve been protecting her economic interests, too.
Why did white women fight for enslaved people?
Once married, white women fought in courts to preserve their legal ownership over enslaved people (as opposed to their husband’s ownership), and often won. “For them, slavery was their freedom,” Jones-Rogers observes in her book.
What is an illustration of a slave auction, where both white men and women took part?
An illustration of a slave auction, where both white men and women took part. “Their exposure to the slave market is not something that begins in adulthood—it begins in their homes when they’re little girls, sometimes infants, when they’re given enslaved people as gifts ,” she says.
How many slaves did George Washington own?
It's estimated that 40 percent of slave owners may have been white women. Most Americans know that George Washington owned enslaved people at his Mount Vernon home. But fewer probably know that it was his wife, Martha, who dramatically increased the enslaved population there. When they wed in 1759, George may have owned around 18 people.
Why did white women take black women away from their babies?
As adults, white women often tore black women away from their babies so they could nurse the white mistress’ baby instead . To this end, white women placed thousands of advertisements in newspapers looking for enslaved “wet nurses” to feed their own children and created a huge market for enslaved black women who had recently given birth.
When did the book "They Were Her Property" come out?
Slaveholding parents “typically gave their daughters more enslaved people than land,” says Jones-Rogers, whose book They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South came out in February 2019.
Did white women buy slaves?
They Were Her Property upends a lot of older scholarship. For example, previous scholars have argued that most southern white women didn’t buy, sell or inflict violence on enslaved people because this was considered improper for them. But Jones-Rogers argues that white women were actually trained to participate from a very young age.
When did sexual assault on plantations start?
The infrastructure supporting unpunished and pervasive sexual assault on plantations started in America’s colonial era. Beginning in the 17th century, Virginia codified sexual relations between black men and white women as criminal, even when the two parties consented and desired marriage.
What was the impact of the Jim Crow laws on black women?
However, that era was later sundered by the imposition of Jim Crow laws, which resulted in a system nearly as unjust as what was there before. Thus, black women over the next century continued facing brazen assault at the hands of white men who were not held accountable by the legal system and existing power structures.
What happens if a child is enslaved?
Since a child’s freedom was tied to status of the mother, if an enslaved mother gave birth, the child would also be enslaved – regardless of the father’s status. Thus, sexual abuse by the master might be followed nine months later by more chattel property added to the estate.
When was incident in the life of a slave girl published?
Cover of Harriet Jacobs’ memoir “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” first published in 1861. Elizabeth Keckly experienced this “fancy” perversion as well. Living in North Carolina during the 1830s, Keckly described “savage efforts to subdue my pride” by a white man:
What did Frederick Douglass say about his father?
Douglass recalled in his first autobiography the uncertainty surrounding the identity of his biological father: “My father was a white man.
Why did the Abolitionists work tirelessly in the mid-19th century?
Abolitionists worked tirelessly in the mid-19th century to bring public attention to the plight of the sexually assaulted on plantations. Prominent in the abolitionist campaign were the stories of people who had experienced slavery and were thus harmed by sexual assault, whether directly or indirectly.
Was Harriet Jacobs a mistress?
A black woman being sexually assaulted by the master was therefore no “mistress.” [2]) Harriet Jacobs in her memoir, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, also recalled the uncaring attitude of the white mistress toward raped black women.
