slavery-kmj

= Slavery is when a person is owned by another person. A person who was owned was know as a slave. Slaves were overworked and most of the time not paid. The owner of a slave provided the slaves with little food, clothing, and shelter. The Southern States needed and used slavery more than the Northern States. In Southern States they grew cotton and needed a lot of people to grow, care, and pick the cotton. The Northern States had factories so white people worked in them. People in the south believed they civilized the slaves. In 1860 there were 3,500,000 slaves in the Union. In some of the states, like South Carolina, there were two black people to every white person. Slaves could be bought, sold, or be given away as gifts. Their families were torn apart. Some slaves were even beaten. Slaves received punishments like lashings, and short rations. There were even threats to sell their families if they did not do as their master told them to do. Slaves that worked in the fields worked from sunrise to sunset. Some slaves lived in huts. There were usually ten to twelve slaves that lived in a single hut. Slaves could not testify in court, or earn their freedom. =