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Analysis: The Golden Duty Of Enslaved Women

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Analysis: The Golden Duty Of Enslaved Women
The Golden Duty of Enslaved Women
On the plantation, enslaved women had many different chores and duties that they must fulfill daily. The women slaves were very important for the cycle of work on the plantation to run smoothly. Some women cooked in the kitchen, some women worked in the field, and some women had what was considered one the best jobs to have within the constraints of slavery; being a midwife.
Enslaved midwives were not only seen as caregivers and deliverers of babies, they were also seen as healers. They were often called “doctors”, although only white men at the time were accepted as real doctors in the Antebellum South. The belief of these women being equivalent to doctors stemmed from their African Roots. In African communities, the women who were midwives were also spiritual and medicinal healers. They would perform spiritual healing rituals, create a remedy for the sick, and advise others on how to live healthily for the mind, body, and soul. They were the women who the community relied on to keep the community healthy, strong, and in order.
In the Antebellum South, being a midwife was considered a highly skilled job. Some enslaved …show more content…
If the mistress was to become pregnant, the midwife would take over the mistress’ duties or chores so that the mistress can rest her body and focus on a healthy pregnancy. These chores included assigning tasks to other slaves, overseeing the chores of the house slaves, making clothes (often for the baby), and many others. The midwife’s job is to ensure that the mistress has a healthy pregnancy, so she would often teach the mistress things such as how exercising helps to prepare for birth, how too much meat intake or sex could be harmful, or that baths may not be the best as far as sanitation goes when it comes to protecting the
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