Lifestyle Changes of American Slaves between 1700s and 1800s Research Paper

Lifestyle Changes of American Slaves between 1700s and 1800s - Research Paper Example Slavery in America is divided into two periods; 1650-1790 and 1790-1865. Slaves were from Africa where they were captured after being enticed with sweets especially in the case of children or through collaboration with local chiefs who gave out their subjects to slave traders. Historical lives and changes in 1700s Since slaves were drawn from different parts of the African continent into a strange environmental setting, several if not all, faced hardships in adapting to the new world of different social, cultural and political phenomena. Though some fought to maintain their earlier ancestral lifestyle from their native land, this wasn’t possible in the circumstances of their status of slavery as they had to accept the lifestyle of their masters (learnnc.org). Economic It is important to note that the slaves were shipped to work for their masters and therefore lacked enough time to develop or to engage in their own economic activities. Their lives were incredibly difficult and those who worked in plantations had to labor from sunrise to sunset without exception of the old or young, all worked for this long period of time. It was considered an act of kindness if a master gave his slaves a day off from work. Popular holidays like Christmas were equally infrequent in the lives of salves. In their rare free times, slaves engaged in activities of fishing or cultivating small piece of land in order to supplement what was given by the masters that was usually poor in quality. As earlier stated, it was the duty of the master to clothe these servants however, some gave inadequate clothing and this compelled the slaves to go an extra mile and sew their own clothes in the dark covers of the night. Political In their native land of Africa, slaves were organized into powerful kingdoms and other political units of governance, however, upon shipment to America their masters could not allow them to be in such organizations for the fear of being overpowered. They were not also allowed to engage in the political activities of their masters such as voting. Laws were made against them without their participation; slave trials were done in a separate court from those of their masters and were sentenced by such courts without trial. Social On their social aspect of life, they sheltered in small houses with cracks on the walls and dirty floors. Some who got injured in the plantation fields were not immediately taken to hospitals or given medication leading to many deaths. Their masters never allowed them to engage in social activities such as traditional dances, games and social groupings. The primary concern of the masters was productivity in the plantation but never cared about health or comfort of these servants. In some American states, slaves were not allowed to marry without their master’s consent and family members were dispersed to various parts of the country to avoid ever tracing trace one another. Historical lives and changes in 1800s As opposed to the events and relations witnessed between the salves and their masters at beginning of slave trade, during the later period of 1800s, remarkable changes occurred in the lives