The slaves were forced to work from sun up, to sun down, while performing horrific tasks. There was nothing simple about the work of the slaves it was long tedious hours. They hardly ever received breaks, and their only rewards for there work was terrible living conditions, and awful ash cakes to eat. Slave life was also faced with hardships of starvation and brutal and senseless beatings. A prime example of this cruel behavior happened to a female slave named Nelly. She was guilty of a crime known as impudence. She tried to resist her beating, like many slaves did, and was punished twice as hard for it. "The cowardly creature made good on his every threat; and wielded the lash with all the hot zest of his furious revenge. The cries of the woman, while undergoing the terrible infliction, were mingled with those of the children, sounds which I hope the reader may never be called upon to hear. When Nelly was untied her back was cover in blood" (Douglass 94). Slaves often resisted the system but were always severely persecuted for their attempts. Some even tried to avoid the oppression by running away. This hardly ever worked because there were slave catchers everywhere to return them to their masters.
Being black in the nineteenth century was a crime in itself. Slaves faced tremendous difficulties, but even if they were free their life was tainted. The free black man was still living an oppressed life. He was still unable to enjoy the basic liberties of a white man. Free Blacks were still segregated from society and were unable to enjoy liberties such as voting, and sharing restaurants or facilities. Black society was looked down upon as a disgrace to American culture. The only way a black man could gain respect, was if a respected authority figure approached them, and it was made visible to the public. "Riding from Boston to Albany, I found myself in a large car, filled with passengers.
