Slavery In The 1800s Essay

Words: 582
Pages: 3

Many people think warm thoughts when the south is mentioned like going to Texas or Florida. No one really thinks about slavery and how horrible it was. In the 1800’s many plantation owners owned slaves which were classified as property, but each slave had a life before this melancholy time. In the following paragraphs the journey from being a normal person to being forced into labor as a slave will be explained.
Southern farmers planted cash crops for money instead of manufacturing like the north. They spent ample amounts of time planting cotton and keeping their soil fertile. Almost everyone farmed to put food on the table including african americans, but that meant that there was less land to plant and harvest on. White people as selfish
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They all lived in small, dirty houses with dirt floors and not much space to move around (History 1). With little sleep the men, women, and children got up early in the morning and headed out to the field. All day long each and every person would help harvest and plant cotton and other cash crops for the owner. It didn’t matter if you were old or young everyone had a job. Some families didn’t even want kids because of the way their life would turn out (History 1). There was never any slacking or breaking of the tools, and if there was a harsh punishment was coming your way.
The worst part of this all was there are only limited ways of getting out and being free. As a slave, trying to leave would be the worst thing that ever happened to you. Plantation owners would search for you until they were blue in the face and people hardly ever made it past them. There were awful punishments for being caught like being beaten until you didn’t die or having them mess with your family that you love and care for (Simkin 1). Many slaves didn’t even try to run they thought it was better just to stay. It’s true what they say “ What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. Many southern slaves worked hard probably thinking about just giving up on their life but they kept on trucking and some ended up leaving with bravery and setting out towards the north. They were able