USA HISTORY

LIFE IN ANTEBELLUM AMERICA 1807 1861

SLAVERY IN AMERICA COTTON SLAVE TRADE AND THE SOUTHERN RESPONSE

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What was the most common reason that was given for slaves to be punished
A
Insufficient work
B
Attempts to escape
C
Lying
D
Talking back
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Slaves were punished for not working fast enough, for being late getting to the fields, for defying authority, for running away, and for a number of other reasons. The punishments took many forms, including whippings, torture, mutilation, imprisonment, and being sold away from the plantation.

Detailed explanation-2: -African Americans fled slavery in the South for a variety of reasons. Brutal physical punishment, psychological abuse and endless hours of hard labor without compensation drove many slaves to risk their lives to escape plantation life.

Detailed explanation-3: -"Day-to-day resistance” was the most common form of opposition to slavery. Breaking tools, feigning illness, staging slowdowns, and committing acts of arson and sabotage–all were forms of resistance and expression of slaves’ alienation from their masters.

Detailed explanation-4: -Ivory, gold and other trade resources attracted Europeans to West Africa. As demand for cheap labour to work on plantations in the Americas grew, people enslaved in West Africa became the most valuable ‘commodity’ for European traders. Slavery existed in Africa before Europeans arrived.

Detailed explanation-5: -One of the most powerful ways an enslaved person could resist was to run away. Running away carried heavy risks. If runaways were caught, they would be physically punished, usually by whipping, and might be made to wear chains or handcuffs to prevent them from running again.

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