Table of Contents
What was life like for slaves in colonial America?
As a general rule, enslaved people worked from sunrise to sunset, usually in the tobacco fields. On large plantations, some learned trades and worked as blacksmiths, carpenters, and coopers or served as cooks and house servants.
What were the living conditions of slaves?
Slaves that had to build their own houses tended to make them like the houses they had had in Africa and they all had thatched roofs. Living conditions were cramped with sometimes as many as ten people sharing a hut. They had little in the way of furniture and their beds usually made of straw or old rags.
What was the daily routine of slaves?
The daily routine for plantation slaves was marked by labor from sun-up to sun-down, from “can see to can’t see” in the slave’s lingo. They worked everywhere on the plantation; in the fields and in the Big House, in the barns and in the quarters.
What was a typical day for a slave?
Slaves commonly picked cotton, sugar, rice and tobacco. They worked lengthy hours, averaging a daily labour of 14 hours, and perhaps even additional ones during harvest time. They worked 6 days a week and half day on Sundays. In many situations, women had to perform the same men, carrying extremely heavy loads and using large iron tools.
What was the slavery really like?
Slavery was a form of dependent labour performed by a nonfamily member. The slave was deprived of personal liberty and the right to move about geographically as he desired. There were likely to be limits on his capacity to make choices with regard to his occupation and sexual partners as well. Slavery was usually, but not always, involuntary.
What was family life like for the enslaved people?
What was family life like for enslaved people? Enslaved people lived lives very similar to free people, except they were under the constant watch of their owners. Some were denied rights such as seeing their own children.