Life Under Slavery

1. Life Under Slavery Enslaved Africans accounted for 32% of the total population of the South.

2. Slave labor was needed to make a profit in the Cotton Kingdom South. • Slave labor used on plantations. • Slave trade banned in 1808, by 1860 almost all enslaved Africans were born in America.

3. Life As A Slave • American law did not protect enslaved people or families. • At any given time, a husband or wife could be sold away. • Marriage ceremony included the phrase, “till death or separation do us part”. • Relied on a tight knit network of family and friends to care for the children that were left behind.

4. African American Culture • Fused African and American culture to create a culture all their own. • Wrapped hair in colorful cloth. • Continued to practice African dance and music. • Accepted Christianity. • Found links between Christianity and their condition. • Prayed for the salvation of their people. • Folk Songs

5. Slave Codes • Laws in the Southern states that controlled enslaved people. • White fear of rebellion. • White population becoming the minority.

6. If you control their mind, you control their behind… • Illegal to assemble in large groups • Illegal to teach a slave to read/write without consent and presence of owner. • Must have a pass to leave master’s property. • Rape of a slave women was not a crime.

7. Slave Resistance • Few rebelled • Nat Turner’s Rebellion • Religious leader, taught himself to read and write. • Turner’s group killed 55white’s before being caught.

8. Most slaves used passive resistance • Breaking tools • Working slowly • Pretending to be sick • Setting fires • Escaping/Running away • Underground Railroad

9. Severe slave punishments… although it did not happen often, sometimes slaves were made examples of…