Frederick Douglas
I found that the conditions Frederick Douglas explained were very poor. The food and clothing rations for each slave were unacceptable compared to the food and clothing “rations” that our parents provide us with today. Each adult recieved a monthly “allowance” of eight pounds of pork or fish, and one bushel of corn meal. Each adult’s yearly clothing allowance consisted of two linen shirts, one pair of linen trousers, one jacket, one pair of negro cloth trousers for winter one pair of stockings, and one pair of shoes.
The slaves were expected to cook their own meals, and they were responsible for cleaning their houses, repairing their clothing, and tending to personal gardens. No one did anything for them. Slaves got nothing more in return for their service than the clothes they wore and the food they were given to cook. There were no exceptions either. When a slave’s ration of food went bad or a shirt disintigrated, it would not be replaced until the next month or year.
The newest slaves were disadvantaged. They did not clearly know how the system worked until the other slaves taught them how to manage everything. Only then were they in good shape. The masters would hand out provisions and leave it to the slaves to figure out how to manage them.
December 4th, 2006 at 8:09 pm
I agree that they were poor, yet not really unexpected. I mean, they were slaves, right? I would have given every 5 people 10 pounds of pork, and said “fight for it”. The winner would get the meat, and be the strongest one for the fields. The losers could be used as food…Just kidding. But still, no matter how much it is expected, it’s still a cruel system to be on the receiving end of.
December 4th, 2006 at 10:28 pm
I agree that the conditions were very poor and the conditions of the slaves lives were horrible. I though it was interesting that the newest slaves were disadvantaged. But I suppose it is understandable because the older slaves know the way the plantation worked and what to do. It is very cruel that the masters left everything up to the slaves to learn and did not respect them one bit. I don’t understand how they could treat a human being in such a way. I wish the masters could imagine making their own children or wives doing the work and the way the slaves were treated so that they would understand. However, I suppose that our country would not be the way it is today with out salvery. It has built out nation by teaching us to create everyone equal and that segregation is wrong.