Slavery on Plantations

Slavery on Plantations

Multiple Choice

The voyage of slave ships across the Atlantic Ocean, from West Africa to the West Indies and the American continents

• overseer

• auction

• slave trade

• Middle Passage

• spiritual

Multiple Choice

a person who was in charge of the work of slaves and could punish them for disobeying him

• overseer

• auction

• slave trade

• Middle Passage

• spiritual

Multiple Choice

a type of religious song that developed among enslaved Africans and that expressed deep emotion

• overseer

• auction

• slave trade

• Middle Passage

• spiritual

Multiple Choice

a public sale in which slaves were sold to the highest bidders

• overseer

• auction

• slave trade

• Middle Passage

• spiritual

Multiple Choice

the business of capturing, transporting, and selling people as slaves in exchange for goods or money

• overseer

• auction

• slave trade

• Middle Passage

• spiritual

Multiple Choice

a public sale in which slaves were sold to the highest bidders

• overseer

• auction

• slave trade

• Middle Passage

• spiritual

Slave Auctions

Traders also sold slaves at slave auctions . The slaves stood on a platform called an auction block, while buyers bid against each other. One by one, the slaves were sold. If they were not already separated in Africa, parents were sold separately from children, husbands from wives, and brothers from sisters. Often, they never saw each other again.

Multiple Choice

True or false?

At slave auctions, families were sold together.

• true

• false

Multiple Select

What could happen in the first year of a slave's life in the colonies? A slave's first year on a plantation was very hard. The slave had to survive a period of “breaking in,” or adjusting to his or her new life. First, owners gave each slave a new name. Next, an overseer shouted orders at them in an unfamiliar language. If the slaves did not understand what they were supposed to do, or if they disobeyed the overseer, the slave might be whipped.

• They were whipped

• They got a new name.

• They were given new clothes.

• They were shouted at.

• They got a new family.

Multiple Choice

What did most slaves do for their work?

Most slaves worked in the fields, working long hours to plant and pick crops. Slaves sometimes had to walk long distances to get to the fields. There was a short meal break at noon and another one in the evening. Then the slaves walked back to their cabins

• They cleaned the house.

• They worked in the fields.

• They went to school.

Multiple Choice

Usually more than one family lived in one small cabin with a dirt floor. Sometimes all they had for a bed was a bundle of straw, with some rags for a blanket.

Which one could be inside a slave cabin?

So, how did the slaves react to their new lives?

Multiple Choice

Some slaves attempted to escape. Runaways usually hid in nearby woods or swamps and some tried to make their way to freedom. Most slaves who ran away were eventually caught and often severely punished by their owners. What happened to most runaway slaves?

• They escaped.

• They got their freedom.

• They were caught and punished.

Multiple Select

Besides running away, how could slaves fight back?

Slaves resisted their new lives in other ways, too. One way was to pretend not to understand what they were being told to do. Another way was to pretend to be too sick or too hurt to work. Slaves sometimes broke tools or set buildings on fire.

• Pretend to not understand.

• Break tools and not work.

• Pretend to be sick.

• Just leave and look for a new job.

Multiple Choice

Other slaves chose to work hard and do what they were told to avoid punishment or win their masters' favor. They hoped that their owners would make them house servants or skilled workers with easier/better jobs.

Why did some slaves work hard?

• They loved their masters.

• They were just naturally hard workers.

• They hoped to be given a better job.

Open Ended

In an owner's home, slaves had a somewhat easier life. They worked as cooks, gardeners, coachmen, and personal servants. They ate the leftovers from the master's table and wore better clothing than other slaves.

Why was it better to be a slave in the owner's house than working in the fields?

Multiple Choice

Some slaves were taught skills like carpentry and blacksmithing. They might earn wages for extra work done on Sundays and holidays. Some hoped to save enough money to buy their freedom, but very few slaves accomplished this goal.

True or false: Many slaves earned money to buy their freedom.

• true

• false

Poll

If you were an enslaved African, what would you do?

• Work hard for your master and hope for a better job.

• Try to run away even though you'd probably be caught and whipped.

• Act sick and not work too much, even though you might be whipped and you'd never get a good job.