What Did They Endure?

In the early formations of the Americas, provinces at the time had plantations in which they had slaves to do work in the fields. These slaves went through much trouble from leaving Africa and being separated from their families to living and working on the plantation with minimal living arrangements. In Letters from an American Farmer by John de Crevecoeur, Crevecoeur depicts what slaves may have felt during their time of enslavement.

Men, women, and children were captured from their homes regardless of age or sex equally in Africa and then transported to places which were in need of slaves. Once at the destination, they were sold. Men were preferred over women because women were not seen to be of much help in the fields. To ensure that more women were sold, the seller of slaves would behead some men such that more women would be sold. As for children, the children tended to cost less than adults so they were the target of most captures. At one point in time, abolitionists wanted to put laws against the age of children which were to be sold in the slave trade. The age was hard to determine so they judged the children’s ages by their height. If they were four feet, four inches or taller, then they were old enough to be sold in the slave trade while the children that were younger were not old enough to be sold. (Diptee)

When the slaves returned with their new owners to the plantations of their owners, they lived in small living quarters. In addition to being small, their living quarters dad not have glass windows so it was difficult to be ridden of bugs and cold weather. These conditions would make it difficult for the slaves to live. Most of the living quarters for the slaves had root cellars of which they were able to use for storage and to keep their food. The root cellars were dug into the ground and near the fireplace such that during the cold winters, the food would not become frozen. (Samford)

Given what is known through research and testimonies, it is clear to see that slaves must have had to endure a great deal of difficulty in their time of enslavement. They may or may not have had the ability to come and go from the plantations as they needed but they were able to survive even if it was not the most ideal situation.

Works Cited

Diptee, Audra A. "African children in the British slave trade during the late eighteenth century." Slavery & Abolition 27.2 (Aug. 2006): 183-196. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Martin Luther King Jr. Public Library, San Jose, CA. 9 Sep. 2009 .

Samford, Patricia. "The archaeology of African-American slavery and material culture." William & Mary Quarterly 53.1 (Jan. 1996): 87. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Martin Luther King Jr. Public Library, San Jose, CA. 9 Sep. 2009 .