Slavery has appeared almost always throughout history among the people of new cultures, however, slavery in the United States in the 19th century, had been exclusively associated with one race, as was the case with black Africans. When slavery was first practiced in the Americas during the early colonial period, it was purely for economic use. The use of slaves in sugar, tobacco, and cotton plantations brought a great deal of profit and thus slavery was implemented into the agriculture system. The early 1800's brought about much change in terms of the slave culture, such as: family and living, fieldwork, and punishment.
African families had little control over their own lives. "Negroes, labouring to support those who claim them as their property, and expecting nothing but slavery during life, had not the like inducement to be industrious."# Children of slaves were considered slaves at birth. The death rate amongst slaves was high. To replace their losses, plantation owners encouraged the slaves to have children. Childbearing started around the age of thirteen.
Very few slaves were ever freed. Although children under the age of ten were rarely separated from their mothers, many families were dispersed when plantations were sold or divided among heirs. Some masters would sell slaves away from their families while others would not split up a family. .
Enslaved men, women, and children lived as a family. The one-or-two-room cabins located in the slave quarters usually housed one family each, although more than one family occasionally occupied one shelter. They lived in crude quarters that left them vulnerable to bad weather and disease. Their clothing and bedding were minimal as well. .
Here in the small, cramped indoor spaces, in the yards surrounding each cabin, slave families tried to live a private life, when their owners were not around. This time allowed each member to be more than a slave.
