Slavery And Marriage: The Effects Of The Slave Family

Slavery and marriage have affected people in different ways. When one thinks of slavery, they think of someone being forced to work for free under horrible conditions. When one thinks of marriage, one thinks about the union of two people who love each other. However, when slavery and marriage were combined, the effects on slaves and masters collide. Southern whites believed that slaves marrying was against religious teachings, while plantation owners viewed slavery marriage as being profitable. No one considered the feelings of the slaves, individually or collectively. This essay will explore slave marriages, its effects on plantation owners, and the effects of the slave family. Throughout history, slaves were not considered people, but property.

The plantation owners knew they were still in control and they ignored the feelings of the slaves to continue the work. They had the power to separate husband from wife, parents from children, even the entire family at their choosing (DigitalHistory.uh.edu). The more the slaves worked, the richer the plantation owner became. Many owners did not agree with slave marriages; however, others encouraged slave marriage. The owners that did not agree with slave marriage changed their minds as they realized keeping the slave family together produced higher profits, higher labor, and the threat of losing their family kept their slaves in check (Hunter). The slaves were less likely to run away, thus taking money from the owner. They would make a profit off the marriages by selling the children that the couple had. Usually at the age of 10, the child was taken away from their parents and put in a different cabin (Digital). Plantation owners sold the children which would lead to the slaves not wanting to be affectionate with each other. Plantation owners held true to their thought process of slaves and did not care about the slave family, if the owner was getting