Structure and operation of slavery
- Created by: nfawre
- Created on: 10-05-15 20:28
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- Structure and operation of slavery
- Plantation system
- Gangs
- slaves separated into gangs for efficiency.
- 3 gangs: 1st gang for strong slaves= strenuous.2nd gang weak, young, mothers, able elderly= cleaned up in field and factory.3rd gangvery young/old= simple field tasks, refreshments etc.
- slave day
- organised into shifts, 1/2 in fields, 1/2 in factories, for 30 hours at a time.
- 6 day week, 96 hours of labouring for about 6 months of the year.
- wake up 4am in fields by 5/6, Jamaican slaves had breakfast in fields at 9, 1 1/2 hours for lunch, worked till 6.
- Teamwork
- not all plantations had gang system.
- Tobacco planting required careful attention and weeding so every element of production supervised.
- had small teams of 10-20 ofen working with or close to local whites.
- allowed close personal scrutiny of each slave.
- Work by task
- some slaves given specific jobs and free to do their own thing when job done.
- common amongst rice cultivating slaves- South Carolina.
- tough and unhealthy but no personal scrutiny.
- day shorter but work harder.
- Skilled slave
- bigger, more specialist plantations had more scope for skills and services.
- driver who managed field slaves.
- slaves who developed skills were treated better eg carpentry, cooper etc.
- skilled female labour mainly domestic. In north these colonies under close supervision from white women-v. hard.
- lots of slaves worked in house, less demanding but closer supervision and risk of sexual advances.
- Gangs
- Brutality
- Hierachy
- "Overseer"= slave in charge of other slaves.
- rewarded for hardwork/good behaviour.
- Divide and rule, gain support from some slaves to keep others in place.
- priveleges could be removed.
- Branding
- slaves branded, hot metal sears skin leaving permanent mark.
- shows they belong to someone, who owns them.
- very brutal- dehumanising, treated like cattle.
- Punishments
- whipping- cut to bone.
- amputations eg foot, testicles...
- muzzles, collars-degrading, prevents eating or drinking, stops runaways.
- as crimes/transgressions become more serious, so do punishments.
- public to send out a message, punish a few harshly to keep others in line.
- fear of punishment keeps slaves in their place.
- Hierachy
- free time
- purpose
- give everyone a day off, slaves + owners
- slaves able to return to work fresher-able to work harder
- gives slaves chance to grow foor-cheaper for owners, and means better diet for slaves.
- gives slaves chance to look after one another eg illness like dirt eating (craving for dirt caused by depression/ work avoidance/ culture
- Music and dancing
- release and fun for slaves-offers sense of freedom.
- dnaced at weddings, funerals and during week.
- In fields and factoris songs were used to measure out the pattern of work.
- work songs sometimes melancholy with the slashing cane and heavy lifting forming a background to the songs..
- gave slaves a chance to express feelings and remember/ celerbrate their culture.
- Anancy/Brer rabbit stories
- designed to entertain and interpret the world.
- often similar in theme, weak overcoming mighty...
- originated from Africa-reminder of culture, form of escapism, identity, belonging...
- Festivals
- Christian festivals, new year and harvest time were all huge festivals for the slaves.
- also festivals with African roots such as carnival and John Canoe.
- huge time and effort taken to prepare for these celebrations.
- Christmas=elaborate costumes, food set aside, parades, singing, dancing.
- purpose
- Family life
- Challenges
- faced many
- relationships undermined by owners who took women as sexual partners.
- however family structure did emerge.
- Threat of separation- family structure still survived but most slaves were forced to accept separation from family, servants often separated from their family, increased importance of holidays.
- Development of slave family.
- Mid 18th cenury- balance between sexes began to level out, structures began to stabilise.
- American independence- slave families began to follow western pattern.
- regional variations- South Carolina strong family ties needed in harsh environment offering sense of community, slaves able to pass on skills to children improving their material well-being.
- Functions
- place slaves got on with domestic lives.
- mothers looked after children till age 10 when they went to live with siblings or were sold.
- slave women married in late teens and started own households.
- babies went to fields with mothers then left in slave yard with other children, when 7 ntoduced to fields and placed into appropriate labour.
- giving birth (not marriage) next step in family life=new hut. mother and father play vital role in childs life, though man might often away with other men.
- At end of life family again important- old age, illness, accident.
- unit that made slaves who they were, central to their support networks and social lives.
- Nuclear family.
- many slaves became Christians but did not live in Christian relationships although often nuclear families.
- families existed as a part of extended families which looked afer new slaves or runaways.
- families became backbone of life- collective strength.
- Challenges
- Plantation system
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