Booker T. Washington And The American Clothing Revolution

Relative to every aspect of material needs, slave owners provided their slaves with minimal clothing necessities. Despite the notion that slave owners felt that they were compassionate in providing clothing for their slaves. In 1797, George Washington proclaimed to his farm manager that he readily complied with his duties as a slave owner to clothe his slaves:
Images of slaves in tattered clothing are common historical images that demonstrate that most clothing was comprised of a bulk of cheap and sturdy materials that was often grown on the plantation. Despite the mindset of Washington and other wealthy plantation owners, clothing provisions were based on durability rather than comfort, or decency, and uniformity to diminish individuality
Booker T. Washington, a former slave in Virginia, described the feeling he had when he received his first pair of shoes:
Some slaves were not provided shoes and had to rely on their creativity to make footwear out of materials on the plantation. Not having adequate provisions presented health risks to slaves. Lewis Charles, a former slave in Maryland, recounted his suffering from not having enough clothing or shoes to protect him from bad weather conditions:

Inadequate
The cheap fabrics provided to slaves was no match to the hard labor that was performed on the plantation. Clothing that was worn into the cotton fields often tore into shreds before the next clothing distribution. Despite their status, slaves took pride in their appearance. Although their owner’s provided them with the cheapest of fabrics, they often made repairs and added notions to exhibit self-expression in their manner of dress. Any scraps of fabric that were available were used to make repairs when necessary and offered a rare chance for slaves to adorn their otherwise uniform allotments. Slaves spent their free time gathering any materials that they could find to mend their clothing. On George Washington's plantation, a farm manager reported in a 1792
George Womble, a former slave, recalled how this was achieved on his owner’s plantation:

Despite their status, slaves took pride in their appearance. When slaves had the opportunity to earn money to purchase clothing, they often saved enough money to purchase enough fabric to make an outfit that was reserved for Sunday or holiday. This outfit was regarded as their “Sunday best.” Julia Larken, a former slave in Georgia, recounted how children watched in awe as the adult slaves strutted to their Sunday church services in their best outfit:

When time allowed and materials were available, slaves were sometimes able to add color to their monochrome allotments by using foodstuffs or, most commonly, indigo, to dye textiles. Some slaves saved money to purchase small pieces of brightly colored or patterned textiles to make clothing repairs and add small touches to their “best” clothing that included cowrie shells and glass beads. Whites, mostly, poor whites, viewed slaves that added touches to their clothing considered that these slaves gave the appearance as civilized people that dressed "above their condition." It defied the notion that they were property. By the mid-1800s, slaves wore their best attire on Sundays, holidays, and when they were allowed to visit nearby