Masters used physical and psychological abuse to make the slaves submit to them completely, making them weak to the authority. In smaller plantations or farms the master or a family member would watch the slaves to make sure they were working an adequate amount. In large plantations or farms, the slaves worked under and overseer, people, most likely white people, who worked for the masters. These people would work the slaves six days a week, sunrise to sunset. Even the older children would work, weeding out the garden and fields, or watching the younger children while the parents worked. Slaves were a great investment during this time period due to the fact that many times they would have children, and these children would grow up to be slaves themselves. The masters had an ongoing cycle …show more content…
It saved more lives through escaping and freed so many more individuals. They were running away, but many times the slave would return to their owners after a short period of time. If they did indeed remain an escapee then they would hid in areas such as swamps and other remote areas as to not get caught and returned to their owners, to be brutally punished. Many escaped to the North through stowing away in ships and even the Underground Railroad aided in the moving of the slaves. The Underground Railroad was composed of approximately 3,200 free black and white sympathizers who aided about 130,000 individuals escape to the North and to New Mexico. If escaping was not an option, as they were too supervised, they were too deep in the South or something of the sort, they would often lower the masters profit by working slowly or inefficiently and faking illnesses or injury. Acts of sabotage through animal neglect or abuse, broken tools and setting buildings on fire. There is even times that they would poison and kill their masters and the masters