The Mistreatment of Slaves

Slavery was an important economic factor, in the South, from colonial time through the early years of the United States to the end of the Civil War. The methods used by the slaveholder, who owned large scale plantations, in the south were harsh on the slave. Slaves were viewed as material properties used for to be used for economic gain. One large scale plantation owner named John R. Williams wrote to another slave , in a letter, "...Africans do seem to be made to be slaves. Their coarse manners and slow wits show that they need outlet guidance..."1* Masters would do what was necessary to keep the slave obedient and productive. This meant slaves that misbehaved would be physically punished, lose privileges, or maybe even sold, separating them from their families. For these reasons slave often didn 't misbehave, but tension that builds up will be released in often violent ways. This is the reason for frequent slave revolts. The these revolts were often led by a person or a group of people. They would gather the unhappy slaves and lead them to rebel.

Slave owners often would punish any slaves that tried to educate themselves. They didn't want their slaves to be educated in fear that they

The conditions for slaves in the 1730’s were abhorrent. Slaves were not seen as people and had little to no basic human rights. The Africans brought in for slavery were treated like cattle, and were herded towards farms and plantations where they would spend the rest of their days working for their owners. Slaves could not travel, meet in groups, grow their own food, or hunt game. If they wanted to participate in any of these activities they had to do them in secret. The slaves became tired of being mistreated by the white southern slave owners, which eventually led them to start uprisings and rebellions like the Stono Rebellion.

Slavery was practiced many different ways through the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies. Slaves were mistreated by their masters and was treated as property and not people. Slaves had to work in very bad weather conditions and had to work even when they were sick. Many times families were split up because slaves were bought for specific skills and not always bought together. In many cases families were never reunited.

Slavery was a dark time in America’s past. Not only did slavery separate millions of families, it destroyed the white man’s reputation to African people. Many slave owners treated their slaves well, many did not. They forced their slaves to live in deplorable conditions. Malnutrition and overworking often led to death. If you were a slave, would you risk it all and try to run away? You might not have a choice if you wanted to stay alive.

Slaves were viewed as animals and were treated inhumanely by slave owners. The slaves were illiterate, but became educated on religion because slave owners had preachers teach their slaves that being obedient 2 was good. Slave owners were scared that if slaves became educated and began fighting in the war because of fear that slaves would start rioting or turning against the soldiers. During the Revolution, slaves had to decide which side, the American or British, to fight with.

People saw slaves as incompetent and only having the ability to work for the white man.

The slaves were treated absolutely malevolently by the Europeans without any respect or thought towards them. Often without hesitation, the men tortured and abused the slaves. For example, commanders often cut off the legs and arms of defiant slaves to prevent them for trying to rebel, as well as to terrify the rest of the slaves, as shown by Document 2. It is truly terrible that people felt that it was necessary to sever the limbs of the poor slaves. The ones that had to suffer this were ultimately disadvantaged for the rest of their lives because of this. In Document 3, it was discussed that the slaves had to suffer terrible conditions such as small, cramped areas with barely enough room to breathe. It also said in Document 4 that many of

Slaves had never been treated as humans they were always beaten for ridiculous things. The first hand account of John Andrew Jackson an ex-slave shows how bad slaves really had it in his book The Experience of a Slave in South Carolina:

The slashing , Putting runaways to death, The burning screaming that could pierce through your soul and heart. This was how African americans were treated They were forced to work day in and day out until their limbs were falling apart and there was no will to live. Usually in mines, Farms or Homes because That was how they were to work. That's not all though if they did wrong ( knowing how to read or write) Or just because there master felt like it…. They would brutally assaulted them with the slashing of a whip Or put to death just for the heck of it. Or Because there owner thought they were doing wrong; So what was the cause and effects of this Unfair ruling of pain, Suffering and Terrible act of violence called slavery?

Enslaved people were treated extremely harshly by Southern slave owners. Slaves were instructed to do heavy labor, and if they did not worth to their maximum ability they were cruelly treated with whippings, beatings, and they were sometimes even maimed. Slaves barely had enough food, clothing, and shelter to get through

Even though Black workers were the most mistreated group, poor White workers were pitted against Black slaves to keep the slave system in place. Slaves were being sold and separated from their families which made the slave different

While slavery was a horrific thing that led to the mistreatment of millions of black people, it had the power to last for centuries. When looking closely at historical accounts it becomes easier to see why this horrible practice was able to sustain for so long. One of the reasons was because the economy of Colonial America relied heavily on the labor of slaves. Farming, the slave trade itself, and the harsh treatment of slaves were all driven by the greed of slave owners. Another reason that slavery lasted so long was racism. During this time, the black population was considered inferior to the white population. This helped to promote the cruel behaviors that occurred in slavery. Lastly, many whites actually felt that the slaves were treated

Slavery is a stain in the history of the United States that will always be particularly remembered for the cruelty it exhibited. Up until 1865 slaves were imported in shiploads and treated as if they were merely cattle. On the farms slaves were given no mercy and had to work long, arduous days for nothing. Additionally they were often subject to cruel overseers who would beat and whip them on a regular basis. As brutal and destructive as the institution of slavery was, slaves were not defenseless victims. Through their families, and religion, as well as more direct forms of resistance, Africans-Americans resisted the debilitating effects of slavery and created a vital culture supportive of human dignity.

American history clearly demonstrated that slaves were never treated fairly, since they were first brought to the colonies in 1619 they have not had any rights. They were mistreated, misheard and misrepresent every second of their life. Slaves were treated less than a human, in fact they were treated like criminals even though most never committed a crime. The law stated that they were just property and that their owner held complete authority over them. Therefore very few slaves were able to become freeman or freewoman and able