Slaves, owned by one in four families, were controlled from birth to death by their white owners. Black men, women, and children toiled in the fields and houses under horrible conditions (Katz 3-5). The slave system attempted to destroy black family structure and take away human dignity (Starobin 101). Slaves led a hard life on the Southern plantations.

Most slaves were brought from Africa, either kidnapped or sold by their tribes to slave catchers for violating a tribal command. Some were even traded for tobacco, sugar, and other useful products (Cowan and Maguire 5:18). Those not killed or lucky enough to escape the slave-catching raids were chained together (Foster). The slaves had no understanding of what was happening to them. They were from different tribes and of different speaking languages. Most captured blacks ha

were shackled and crammed tightly into the holds of ships for weeks. Some refused to eat and others committed suicide by jumping overboard (Foster).

David, Paul, et al. Reckoning with Slavery. New York: Oxford University Press, 1976.

Cowan, Tom, and Jack Maguire. Timelines in American History. New York: Perigee Books, 1994.

Ploski, Harry A., and James Williams. Reference Library of Black America. Vol 5. New York: Gale Research, 1990.

Masters kept food, clothing, and shelter at bare minimum to reduce costs (Starobin 7). Often workers were given a small shack with no windows, a bare dirt floor, and a leaky roof. Several families might live in one crowded room. They were allowed corn or rice, maybe a bucket a week, and rarely received meat as a food staple. The field slaves were very malnourished. The slaves were given one set of clothing to wear for years, and most did not have shoes (Ploski and Williams 1439). As a result of the poor living conditions, disease and death rates were kept high (Starobin 7). Most adult slaves were worked to death in eight to ten years (Ploski and Williams 1437). Slavery was a terrible institution. It took people's lives and tore them apart. Many black people suffered for decades. Slaves were exposed to prejudice and inhuman

Some common words found in the essay are:
Cowan Maguire, Ploski Williams, Foster Whipping, Foster Slaves, South Foster, Slave Life, Foster Blacks, ploski williams, Foster Sometimes, York Viewpoints, ploski williams 1438, williams 1438, starobin 7, qtd foster, cowan maguire, David Paul, house servants, williams 1437, et al, ploski williams 1437, katz 3-5, david et al, york viewpoints 1974, women children,
Approximate Word count = 1638
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)