Question Home

Position:Home>History> What did white people do during slavery?


Question: What did white people do during slavery!?
I mean I'm sure there were all kinds of occupations, but since most whites didn't do any manual labor jobs, didn't that mean there where a ton of rich slave owning white people with nothing to do!? Did they just sit around drinking sweet tea and chill out and socialize!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Plantation owners would have many slaves to do the work!. Men who owned plantations were often away on business or pleasure, and would leave their wives in charge!. The wives of plantation owners were not supposed to lift a finger themselves, just to supervise the slaves!. However, the majority of white Americans were not plantation owners!. There were many more small farmers in the south than there were large plantations,a nd many of those had no slaves at all!. They would do their own work!.

and in the North there were many white people who worked in manual labour, in factories and at various trades and in domestic service!. Not all white people were rich during the era of slavery, and slaves cost money!. Not everyone could afford them!.

there were some free black people who became slave-owners themselves!. New Orleans in particular had a large free black community, some of whom were very wealthy and some of whom owned slaves!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It was mostly priviledged white people who owned slaves!. In England, for instance, from the 14th to the 19th century, most slaves were white!. In the American North, most of the industrial townships were white immigrants worked just like slaves, with shanty housing provided by the corporation, and all of their activities outside of work were monitored by the corporation!. There was no safety code, and work days usually lasted 15-18 hours!. Most were also not permitted to leave the property!. It was these conditions that lead to the Labor Union movement of the North!.

Plantation owners in the South were known for spending much of their time in the local politics!. They were also resented by small farmers who couldn't compete with them in the market, because they didn't own slaves!. Slave owners sent their kids to posh colleges to become doctors, lawyers, and politicians!. Most of them still kept the farmland, aquired more land when other people foreclosed, and eventually land-locked the South!. It was actually the industrial interests of the North that encouraged emancipation so they could move more of their operations South!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

wow, what an inflammatory question!. how could you be so wrong!? "white" people did the same thing that they have always done which is do what needs to be done!. my family, who lived in both georgia and south carolina, were not plantation owners nor were they rich by any means!. they did not "chill out and socialize"!. they worked the fields just like everyone else did that lived around them!. i guess you think that all white people had slaves huh!? well you obviously need to go back and read some more history!. only 1 in 6 plantation owners had slaves and the number is even greater when you factor in all southerners!. not everybody in the south had slaves!. wow what a rant!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

some whites did have manual labor jobs!.
like the movie mice and men!.
While others where in the military, city government, and being the boss of their farms!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Well, the ones with the slaves had them to care for cotton plantations, so I'm guessing the whites made their living by selling cotton!. Just a guess though!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

there a bunch of rich slave owning people with nothing to do but keep the slaves in control and give them orders!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

They were da boss!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

being lazy racist pervsWww@QuestionHome@Com