Slave Family Life In Plantation Families

Family life within slave quarters was very dependant on there living situation. While some slaves lived near their immediate family on the same plantation, others may have been sold to neighboring plantation and live many miles apart from their parents and children. Slave families often operated like a typical american family, however, even if separated by auction. The husband or father may have walked the distance at night to visit his family only to turn around and walk back before he was required to start working again. The relationship of the husband and wife was also not sanctioned by the government since they were considered property at the time, though slaves communities still recognized them as a form of marriage. Beside the fact that they were owned and, to an extent, controlled by their masters, slaves still held normal families. The mother would still sew and cook into the late hours of the night, and the father may have hunted or fished to

On one plantation children could be treated wonderfully and may be given white bread as a reward for helping. While another plantation, they may beat the children just like the adults, and whip them till they bleed. Treatment was all up to how the mistress or the master decided they were going to govern their slave population. On many plantations masters and mistresses also encouraged slave relationships, for they produced slave babies which were a large source of profit after slave trade from africa was banned. However, plantation owners would also tear families apart by auction without blinking an eye if you acted up or displeased them in any manner. Lastly, some masters would whip slaves simply because they had not been whipped in a while. This goes to show that it was just by chance or luck how slaves were treated. Treatment of slaves by their masters and mistresses not only varied from plantation to plantation but also from day to