The life of families in the slave quarters was filled with many hardships and heartaches. According to Schwartz: “Slave holders thought of the men, women and children they held in bondage as property,” as well as interfere in slaves’ lives as they pleased. Adults as well as children from age ten or twelve worked hard from daylight until after dark for as many as seven days each week. Young boys and girls often worked as wait staff, cooks’ helpers or nursemaids in their owner’s home, and other young children were left alone in the slave quarters during the work day. Slave owners withheld food, blankets or clothing to enforce rules, and used beatings and whippings to discipline slaves. Families of slaves were often separated when family members were sold or traded by their owners. Slave families aimed to make their lives more bearable by gathering together at night or on Sundays, and in cooperating stories, song, riddles and musical instruments in their limited private time.
References
Schwartz, M. J., 2001. Family Life in the Slave Quarters: Survival Strategies. November,09,2010, http://www.oah.org/pubs/magazine/family/schwartz.html
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