Slavery in the United States

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that because they were considered subhuman, African slaves toiled on Southern plantations for centuries; the Southern economy absolutely depended on the slave trade. The author points out that religion played a huge role in the lives of slaves, who continued to practice their own religions until the introduction of Christianity led to organized and usually segregated church services. The paper relates that another significant means to creating community solidarity among slaves was through music and singing, both carry-overs from indigenous African culture.

From the Paper:

"During harvest time, slaves toiled in the fields for up to eighteen hours a day, seven days a week. Even during the remainder of the year, daily work routines were inhumane. Slaves were worked well beyond their physical capabilities, even though they were given tasks according to their particular strengths. Women well into their term of pregnancy would be found alongside their male counterparts on plantation fields, plowing or hoeing; there was relatively no sex differentiation when it came to field work. The practice of "hard driving" slaves went hand-in-hand with physical punishments that would supposedly spur the men and women to work harder. Children as young as six years old were forced to carry water or weed the fields. Crops like cotton, rice, sugar, and tobacco thrived with slave labor, which was considerably cheaper than hiring paid workers."

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