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Question: What was the treatment of slave like in the South before the American civil war!?
What was the treatment of slave like in the South before the American civil war!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


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It all depended on the owner!. As a general rule of thumb, house slaves had easier lives than field slaves, but they were not immune to poor treatment either!. For a good look at the treatment of slaves, read Uncle Tom's Cabin or pretty much any slave memoir!.

Really bad treatment could include: beatings, whippings, public whippings, mutilation, rape, selling of children/spouses, malnourishment, and lack of health care!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Good fiction writers usually do a lot of research so they often end up with colorful, accurate descriptions!. For the treatment of slaves during the "middle voyage," i!.e!. the journey from Africa to America, I recommend Arthur Haley's "Roots!." The best contemporary account of slavery in the United States is probably Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin!."

While most of the slaves sold in Africa for transit to America were already held as slaves in Africa, it is important to realize that traditional slavery in Africa was different than it was here!. In Africa, slaves were treated more or less as inferior members of the family, and they could often earn their freedom!. Children of slave did not always automatically become slaves!. (I don't want to let the Africans off too easily--slavery is still widespread in Mauritania, Sudan, and other parts of Africa, just as it still exists in the United States and Great Britain!.)

All accounts suggest the "middle passage" was horrible!. Slaves were crowded into the hulls of ships, and they were chained naked to wooden "beds" so that a maximum would fit!. They were given small amounts of rancid food, and the area retched of urine and feces!. Disease was widespread and a third of more died during the voyage!.

Once in America families were torn apart (if they weren't already) and slaves were auctioned in a most humiliating fashion!.

Most slaves were sent to farms and plantations where they worked in the fields six days a week!. Their Christian owners usually let them rest on Sundays!. Some slaves worked in factories or mines, while others had skilled jobs on the farms (such as blacksmiths) and did not go to the fields!. Some slaves worked as cooks, nannies, wet-nurses, butlers, etc!. in the homes of the plantation owners or in the cities!.

Men, women, and even small children were expacted to work!.

Slaves were generally treated better in the "border states" of Deleware, Maryland, DC, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri than further south!. Even there slaves could be punished severely for "wrongdoing" and families were often split up if it was convenient for the owner!. One punishment was to send someone "down river!." This happens to Uncle Tom, and it is the irony of Jim's escape in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn!."

It is said that slaves, especially in the deep South, were often beaten!. Their living conditions weren't too bad--small, crowded shacks that were comperable to those of the poor whites in the region!. Their food was simple but adequate, and they had few but sufficent clothes!. Slaves were too expensive to allow them to get sick and die!. Harsher weather up North was the main reason slaves were unprofitable there!. The owners would have had to invest more in housing, food, and clothing, and they probably wouldn't have been able to get as much work out of the slaves!. Morality had little to do with it!.

Most slaves received no education at all, although a few did!. With a little education or better-than-average intelligence, a slave might be sent to a factory to work!. There he could earn real wages, part of which went to the owner and part that could be kept!. In this way some slaves were able to purchase their freedom!.

Sometimes slaves were freed upon the owner's death, but more often they were treated as part of the inheritance, just as horses and cattle were!.

A number of (mostly female) slaves became lovers of the owners or the owners' sons!. This term probably doesn't do justice to the reality; "rape victims" would probably be more accurate!. New Orelans was a center for brothels, many of which featured "quartoons" and "octoons" who had 1/4 or 1/8 African ancestry and the rest was white!. Some slaves were also owned by Native Americans, and they were treated in a similar way!. A look around will demonstrate how common this was; few African Americans have skin as dark as that of most Africans!.

Some of the cruelest aspects of slavery were psychological!. While on board ship, there was little or no opportunity to pray; religion was also wiped out as support groups were eliminated!. Devout Muslims found that they had to eat pork or nothing!. Slaves were often encouraged to convert to Christianity!. Thrown into a group of slaves from many parts of Africa, slaves quickly learned that the only way to communicate was through English; traditional languages, history, and traditon were all lost!. Names were changed and became Americanized; slaves were given the last name of the owner, if they had one at all!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Depends on the owner and the location of the slave!. House slaves tended to be treated better then Field slaves!. Some owners treated their slaves great, others treated them terrible!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

yea they treat them so badly u understand what I'm saying!. They have no peace they just work for them and different schools for the slave yea thats little hint!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I was not around then but what the nuns taught me it was horrible and thy would not lie to meWww@QuestionHome@Com