Introduction
Slavery is a system whereby an existing law allows individuals to buy, sell and own other individuals and make them their property. A slave is the legal property of another person and is forced to work for them and obey them. Slavery can be referred to as a person working for another person unwillingly and deprived most of their rights. It is the lack of freedom and public liberty.
According to Northup (2018), slavery started by being kidnapped and being taken to a mysterious place. The whipping followed whereby it was to be done until you could not utter a word about being kidnapped or being a freeman. It included torturing until you adhere to their commands or else kill you. There would be a person in charge who would receive the slaves, oversee the whipping, make sure they are fed and tortured enough. There was a slave pen where all the torture could take place and was done with no clothes on. They would torture you until they could not speak anymore and make sure that you are soar enough to even move. Their goal was to ensure that you never utter the words of freedom entitlement again. Slaves included children who were given away by parents to settle debts. They included families, a mother and her children who could be separated once the trade was done.
The slaves could be transported for long distances, day and night and through oceans, and sold to different masters at different prices. Then the trade could continue to other masters making it a slave market. The masters kept reminding the slaves not to talk of their freedom or else they would be killed. They did not find any wrong in selling a free man to slavery. They did not seem to think of the act as a crime. When the slaves had a chance to communicate they would share their personal lives and some were born free and others as slaves. The process of changing masters happened more often. Some of the slaves could get lucky and escape but this rarely happened. Northup (2018) states that most of the masters were slave traders that bought slaves at low prices and sold them at an advance. This trade would continue on and on to other different masters.
According to Northup (2018) slaves were fed twice a day with the same type of food and the same portions. They were fed at ten and five o’clock. Their names could be changed and each one of them given a different name. Some of the masters would groom the slaves awaiting the trade exchange. They would be told to shave, clean up and even given new clothes. The customers would inspect every slave thoroughly. Some would take the women to the rooms, ask them to strip naked and if scars were seen on the back it meant that the slave was rebellious meaning the sale would not go well. If the slaves fell sick, the masters would call in physicians to treat them so as not to lose any sales. Immediately they got better they could again be paraded for other customers. Slaves could catch diseases for example smallpox and eventually die. For slaves who were families, it was a sad experience for them during the trading because the buyers would not buy them all. It was the end of seeing each other again since the buyers came from different places. The separation was a very emotional one.
Some masters were good to their slaves and in return, their jobs would be done exceeding expectations. Some were never satisfied with the slave’s work, and never uttered kind words to them. Masters would whip their slaves if whatever they wanted to be done is not done to their expectations. Northup (2018) explains that they would make the slaves strip naked when being whipped. The masters were white men and the slaves were blacks often referred to as niggers by their masters. A master was capable of stabbing a slave even in front of a hundred slaves and according to the laws of Louisiana, none of them could give evidence against him. Masters threatened, used harsh and mean words to their slaves, however how hard they worked. Slaves would be whipped and left soar and expected to continue with their duties. If the slaves would try to run away the master would follow them with dogs and do not care if you would be caught alive or dead. A slave could run away because of a disagreement with the master. Some of the masters were so stubborn and could not listen to any good idea the slaves had. If a master would dislike a slave, he would constantly insult and whip them. When a master owns a slave, he could hire or sell them to whoever he wanted at any time.
The living conditions of the slaves were different depending on which master they were working for. They slept in cabins and were given bacon and corn which they cooked for themselves. Northup (2018) states that some of the slaves were allowed to live with their children, and some were even married. The duties they performed included, taking care of plantations, milking, trimming the fences and mostly for women they would perform house chores. Other duties were repairs done through carpentry, working in cotton fields, plowing with oxen and mules. The plantations were large so it meant working on them every day. They would work in the fields during the day, sometimes they would feed the animals and cut wood after coming from the fields and go to sleep very tired. Some masters showed appreciation of good work and dedication of slaves and even offered promises. For example, a slave would be granted permission to go visit their friends from a previous master if they showed commitment to the work that they were given.
According to Northup (2018), some of the masters were religious. Every Sabbath day they could gather their slaves together and read the bible to them. The masters would go to church after teaching his slaves the word of God and punishment was given to the slaves who refused to follow the Sabbath’s rules. Most of the masters who were religious and believed in God were kind to their slaves, unlike the rest who used unkind words. For example, some masters gave their slaves bibles that they read during their free time. In cane plantations, every slave had to work even on the Sabbath day.
Some of the masters were cruel and unjust, for example, they could just lash the slaves in the yard with a long whip and for no reason, just to hear them scream. Northup (2018) adds that they would not give attention or medicine to their slaves even when they can no longer work in the fields and have to stay in their cabins. Some would make their slaves dance even when feeling weary and tired and they were not allowed to delay or stop movements. In cotton picking, each of the slaves was tasked according to their capabilities. The more skilled a slave was the higher the expectations and if they produced lower than they are capable of, they were beaten for it. If the slaves bring too much, the other day’s work will be measured by their last product. Meaning that too much or too little a slave has to suffer the consequences. During cotton picking, slaves lived in fear of oversleeping, of not picking enough cotton and fear of not keeping up with the rest. Some masters were so cruel that they kept women’s back sore through whipping and boasted about it. Some just wanted to make money and did not care about human life. They could send their slaves to other plantations so that he could get paid. Normally if a slave would utter any word opposing his master, they would be whipped and made to obey.
The only thing a slave was given after being kidnapped was a blanket. No plate to put his food, no cup, and no luxuries. In Louisiana, the custom was the slave to be allowed to keep whatever compensation he got on Sunday and that would cater to whatever luxury they needed. Some masters were taught from early childhood by seeing and hearing that the rod belongs to slaves back and even when he matured it would be hard for him to change that. Slavery brutalized humans and their feelings. There were witnesses of daily human suffering when you heard the slaves screaming over merciless lashes given by their masters. Some were bitten by dogs, some died and buried with no coffins. As Northup (2018) puts it, there were humane masters as there was also the existence of inhumane ones. There were well fed, well clothed and happy slaves and likewise there were miserable and starved ones.
The only time the slaves were not working was during the Christmas holidays where they could be given three to six days according to their masters to rest. Every other day throughout the year was spent working. This is the only time they were given restricted freedom. It is at this time of the year that they were permitted to go anywhere they wanted but within a limited distance. It was a time for them to be happy, free of fear and the constant lashes. There were three to six days of happiness and freedom. The rest of the days in the year were full of fear, suffering and continuous labor. Northup (2018) explains that slaves who had gifts for example like playing the violin had opportunities to meet great people since they could be hired to play on occasions. They could more often be relieved of their labor when those chances arose. Marriages between slaves could frequently happen during the holidays. If the slaves were not from the same plantations, they were permitted to visit each other during the weekend.
In larger plantations, there had to be an overseer. The qualifications of an overseer were cruelty and mercilessness. They would ride on horses carrying whips, pistols, a knife and be accompanied by dogs inspecting the slave's work. It was his duty to make large productions of crops and for that to be achieved he had to make the slaves suffer. The dogs were used to haul and ran after a slave who tries to run off maybe because he can no longer endure the whips. The pistol was preserved for emergencies, for example, sometimes the slave could turn against their oppressor. Northup (2018) gives an example of a slave who was executed for killing his overseer. This happened when the overseer sent the slave for an errand and could not complete his duties for the day. The overseer punished him by whipping to the extent that he could not take it anymore. The slave took an ax and cut the overseer into pieces and therefore sentenced to death. Other than the overseer, there were drivers under him who were black and were supposed to whip certain people. They walked with whips on their neck and if they do not use the whip, they would be whipped themselves. When a slave would fall due to lack of strength and weariness, it was the driver’s duty to put them under a shade and pour buckets of water on them. When they finally wake up they would be forced to return to work immediately.
Slaves could get tired of the whipping, laboring, and the animosity they were treated with and decide to run away. It was their master’s duty to go after them. Some were lucky to escape but others could be brought back even after several weeks. This would subject the slave to inhuman floggings by their masters. According to Northup (2018), most of the slaves contemplated running for their freedom though it was risky and very hard for them because they were always being watched. For the slaves who tried to escape and came back, they would forever live with scars from the whipping they got.
Conclusion
Slavery in Louisiana creates two pictures, one of inhumane, cruel and mean white masters. Another one of kind, caring, understanding and God-fearing white masters. The cruel masters used more whipping, whether necessary or not they just whipped. They did not care if a slave is sick, weary or needed a break, they just wanted to see them work. The slaves were not fed enough but were expected to complete their tasks. The kind masters understood, appreciated and motivated their slaves.
References
Northup S. (2018), Twelve years a slave, Madison & Adam’s Press
