From: Anonymous Six
Date: 4/13/00
Time: 7:22:05 AM
Remote Name: 165.121.80.242
Anonymous Six Historty67 4/11/00
Many of the slaves of the South lived in overcrowded huts. The huts would contain about 20 to 30 slaves in a small room. Many slaves bathrooms where outhouses (outdoor bathrooms). The huts contained no water and they would have to get their water usually by traveling far distances. The slaves were not able to cope with most other things on the plantations. The slave’s main ways of coping with the oppressive natures of their surroundings were to run from them. Those that were not able to run had to stay and withstand the torture that they received from their masters. Many slaves even though they were field hands saw the plantation as the only life they had. Even though it was hard and brutal, those that did not run, felt compelled to stay for the fear of not finding work or suffering at the hands of other whites outside the plantation. Even the free slaves struggled. They had difficulty finding jobs due to the competition they got from the immigrants. They usually had to take menial jobs. The slaves in the south and the slaves in the north were both affected. In the South the free blacks were seen as semi-slaves. They often had guardians, who were white. They were required to carry papers that said that they were free. Even though they were free slaves they were always uneasy because there was always the possibility of being kidnapped or fraudulently seized. Many of the slaves on plantations bonded to the other slaves through a sense of family. It was through this bonding that religion became known as one of their means of hope.