What did plantation mistresses do?

What did plantation mistresses do?

As it turns out, they often times played a fairly significant role in determining the treatment of slaves. They would notice when slaves were sick, ensure food and clothing were provided, and on special occasions such as weddings or funerals they did their best to offer the necessary garments to slaves.

What did people do on plantations?

On large plantations, some learned trades and worked as blacksmiths, carpenters, and coopers or served as cooks and house servants. At the end of the workday and on Sundays and Christmas, most enslaved people had a few hours to tend to personal needs.

What did it mean to be a plantation wife?

Being a plantation wife did not mean you were able to socialize with nearby neighbors because your husband made a good earning. They worked as hard as the house slaves they owned, and in some cases harder (Gustafsson, 1999). These wives were so distracted with “chores.”

What was life like for a plantation owner?

Plantation Owners were wealthy and never really had to work that hard. 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.

What was life like for slaves on a sugar plantation?

Some slaves resisted by rebelling or trying to escape. On the plantation slaves continued their harsh existence, as growing sugar was gruelling work. Gangs of slaves, consisting of men, women, children and the elderly worked from dawn until dusk under the orders of a white overseer.

What was life like for an African slave?

Life on the Plantation for African Slaves. 4. Although plantations were designed for work, they quickly became critical locations for the family and social lives of enslaved people. On the plantation, slaves usually had a house of their own for their families.