Chattel Slavery In The 1800s

In the beginning of the 17th century the role of a slave was ambiguous. Slaves often had the same tasks as their white counterparts. The variations of slave treatment and day to day tasks varied from slave to slave. The first white settlers were unfamiliar with chattel slavery. There was no distinct date for the transition to chattel slavery. Without the protections of written indentures or laws established to control slave owners it was inevitable that some would use the lack of protections as a catalyst that ignited change toward the slave labor system. In the 1660’s Maryland and Virginia make the first legal distinctions between white and black servants. Creating statutes that blacks were to be slaves for life and slavery was transferable

Many papers were written on the management and manipulation of slaves into obedient servants. The firsts rule of indoctrination was to establish and maintain strict discipline standards adopted from military forts. All orders must be followed cheerfully and with unconditional submission to their masters. The eagerness to accept orders with a smile was certainly artificial due to fear of disciplinary action. The second step was to instill in them a consciousness of personal inferiority. All actions suspected of impudence were dealt with immediately. Slaves were subjected to psychological manipulation throughout their entire lives with attempts to instill the utmost fear of whites and foster a relationship of complete dependence. Constant supervision of the overseer during working hours and frequent searches of the quarters for weapons or stolen goods. Slave owners also kept their slaves from outside sources of knowledge or from working with free slaves or white men if possible to decrease the chance of knowledge being passed that may hinder their work output. Slaves were also not allowed to marry free slaves or sell goods without permission or a permit from their

The paternal instinct described within the text relates it to that of a loyal lap dog and its owner. They were considered at times amusing but not a source of intuition or intellect. They were never referred to with honorific titles only boys and girls or at old age aunties or uncles. Although it seemed a comfortable relationship with slaves and their masters, slaves were never entirely at ease and always had to watch not to overstep perceived boundaries set by the master. The life although physically harder usually on large slave plantations offered opportunity for slaves to have time together within small communities of slaves. Whereas slaves on small or remote farms were like islands in a sea of unfriendly whites often wanting more time alone but not being allowed it. Whites were considered superior in all ways to mixed race peoples and blacks. A caste system was ever present. Blacks formed close bonds in slavery, when a new slave arrived the slaves would gather and tell him all the information he would need to avoid the lash and appease the master. In cases where blacks sold out their fellow slaves they were then not considered part of the