The Slavery System

Slavery was an integral part of the culture and lifestyle of Antebellum America. While mostly prominent in the south and western regions, slavery maintained a presence throughout the entire country in various forms. Through the analysis of multiple first-hand accounts of slavery in this time period, it is possible to gain an ample understanding of the antebellum slavery system, and more importantly the interactions between slaves and their masters. Slave owners were able to enforce their desires and rules through two avenues: physical and mental. Thus, it is important to understand the methods and motivations of enforcement used in these avenues.
Physical punishment is one of the most commonly known methods of enforcement in the slavery system,
however the motivations behind the punishment are much more targeted and strategic than believed. “He was whipped oftener who was whipped easiest” (Douglass 11) Here Douglass provides some insight behind the tactical methods of whipping slaves. Slaveholders and overseers not only want to use the whippings as punishment, but as a warning to the others as well. If the slaveholder has difficulty fulfilling the punishment because a slave is unwilling to submit, they then appear to be weak to the slave and to all of the bystanders, encouraging the hope of insurrections among the slaves. By targeting the more submissive slaves for punishments, slaveholders are able to assert their dominance easier and increase their effectiveness when enforcing plantation rules. Elizabeth Keckley experienced similar tactical punishments in her childhood. She was whipped multiple times by the village schoolmaster and her master, Mr. Burwell, all because of a quarrel between her and her mistress (Keckley 32-38). The beatings were in an effort to quell Keckley’s “stubborn pride”, however it is important to note that it was not the mistress who carried out the punishments, and they did not last long. Slaves needed to be subdued with ease, or else they would only realize their power to rebel and continue to do so, as was the case with Elizabeth Keckley. Her stubborn pride and refusal to be whipped caused even the schoolmaster and Mr. Burwell to have difficulties subduing her, and resulted in them giving up attempts to punish her through whippings. Keckley proved herself to be one of the aforementioned difficult slaves, unwilling to submit, which was a dangerous type of slave; punishments on these slaves only fuel the fire that lead to insurrection, thus the slaveholders must approach the subject with tact.
Despite the need to assert dominance over the slaves, physical punishments were also necessary to keep slaves in order, discourage mistakes and prevent laziness. While it was necessary for the slaves to obey their masters, farms and plantations still need slaves to have proper work ethics and work correctly in order to maintain efficiency. Elizabeth Keckley’s narrative tells of her Uncle, most likely just an older male within the same farm, who chose to hang himself instead of meeting the wrath of his master because he lost a pair of plough lines (Keckley 30). This depiction of a man who chose death over punishment from his master is exactly the type of fear slaveholders worked to instill in their slaves. Negative punishments following mistakes created a system that strove towards perfection and efficiency. Fredrick Douglass also provides an example of his overseer’s expectation for the slaves to be prompt and orderly. Every morning when the overseer blew the horn to start the day slaves rushed to the door, for the last one out was sure to taste the whip (Douglass). Once again the slaveholders are enforcing order and timeliness, conditioning the slaves to follow directions promptly and correctly. Even in the situation with Douglass, the few extra seconds or minutes that it takes to get out the door would not hinder the production on the farm, but punishments for those tiny infractions promote the correct behavior and the slaves are more receptive to the masters.
As a young child Nat Turner’s master remarked that Nat had too much sense to be raised, and if he did he would be of no use as a slave. The aforementioned desire for slaves to submit to their masters applies in Turner’s situation, however, slave owners did not just expect physical submissiveness; they wanted to suppress their slaves mentally as well. If a slave had above average intelligence, it would be much more difficult for the slave owners to condition them and get them to carry out their duties willingly. Not only can an intelligent slave resist their master’s will, but they can also contemplate why they are slaves in the first place. Douglass was one of those slaves who questioned their existence as a slave, and through that he observed techniques of mental suppression used by slave owners (Douglass). One of the most prominent methods was forcing slaves to constantly sing, to never have them quiet. While this technique worked as a method of keeping track of the slaves when they were out of sight, the constant singing and dancing to rude and incoherent songs worked to suppress the slaves mentally. Even though the slaves were singing the songs joyfully, they depressed the workers because they represented the sorrows of their hearts. So by enforcing the constant singing, the slave owners were able to suppress their slaves, emotionally and mentally, to keep them in line and submissive.
Another common method of keeping slaves in line and behaving appropriately was through offering incentives. It was necessary for slave owners to not just use negative punishments as methods of enforcement, but to utilize positive enforcement as well. While it was generally important to suppress hope, which could lead to dreams of freedom or equality, incentives were able to offer a type of hope that still worked to keep slaves in their place. This was possible through using incentives that were still within the bounds of slave labor, however they were perceived to be better options than what the slaves were currently doing. An example of this situation is apparent in Keckley’s narrative; as a child she was offered the opportunity to care of her master’s baby, transferring her from the rude cabin she was currently in. Through properly taking care of the child, Keckley was able to stay within her master’s household. This type of arrangement between a master and a slave kept the slave happy and constantly vigilant, for they had the opportunity to remain in a much more pleasant environment with an “easier” workload. Along with incentives to earn better work within the farms or plantations, slave owners also used incentives that offered some breaks from work and leadership within the slave population. On Col. Lloyd’s plantation, Douglass spoke of how each month slaves were elected to go to the great house to collect “allowances” of corn-meal and pork (Douglass). Opportunities like this provided slaves with the momentary freedom of escaping the overseer’s lash and the work they had at hand. While they are still operating under their master, and fulfilling the duties of a slave, the incentive offered presents the slaves with a small amount of happiness. However, it is important to note that these incentives are not common occurrences, or available to mass quantities at a time. Thus, it is more likely that they will be effective towards the mass population of the slaves. These incentives provide enforcement of behavior and rules without the need of physical punishment, because the majority of slaves wish to experience the grandeur of the incentives, they are more willing to submit and follow directions of their masters.
The incentives provided by Douglass’ master represented momentary freedom, enforcing positive behavior, however it also represented the slave’s dependence on their masters.
By creating a dependent relationship, slave owners are more likely to be received and obeyed by their slaves. In the case of Douglass, their plantation was isolated from others, and the slaves had to rely on their overseers and masters for their supplies of food and clothing. Through being the only source of provisions for the slaves, masters are able to assert their dominance and ensure that the slaves will not act out and disobey them. While this type of relationship was ideal, masters sought for an even stronger one; the ultimate goal was to create a perverted sense of dependence, one where the slave felt indebted to them. If the slave feels that they owe their master’s, they will not only obey them unwaveringly, they would show initiative to go above and beyond for their master. Keckley in her later years exemplified this type of dependent relationship with her master. When he became so poor that the family could not afford anything, she chose to go find work and support the family. Then when her master offered her and her son freedom, she refused and was determined to purchase her freedom, which was aided in loans from others (Keckley 44-53). While there may have been underlying motives such as love for her family and pride that led to those outcomes, they are likely a result of her delusion that she
was indebted to her master. Slave owners strove to create this type of relationship, through incentives, punishment and creating a dependent relationship they can eventually create a perverted sense of dependence where slaves feel indebted, extinguishing thoughts of having a right to freedom and enforcing behaviors desired by the masters.
Creating dependent relationships with their slaves was a powerful method of enforcement, however one that was just as effective was instilling fear in the slaves.
However, this does not refer to the fear of physical abuse, instead it indicates the fear of losing loved ones. One of the few rights slaves still had in the antebellum period was the right to have a family and love one another, thus the desire to maintain these relationships is a strong motivation to obey slave owners. Slave owners were aware that the loss of a family member created a deep sense of fear and sorrow within the slaves, and thus it was important to utilize that fear. Douglass tells of a story where a slave unknowingly spoke ill of Col. Lloyd, resulting in the slave being shackled and sold to a Georgia trader. While this story was more likely a myth, it represented the constant fear that slaves had of being sold, and worked to provide insight as to not have that happen. If a slave was to not only obey to their master’s when they are around, but to also remain loyal when in the company of strangers, they were likely to remain in their master’s good graces. Similar to the singing, this suppresses the slaves mentally by enforcing the idea that they must always speak and act towards their superiors in a positive manner, or else they may end up being separated from those they
love.