In the article, Plantation Society in the Antebellum South, Faust makes the case that there was a plantation "system"" that slave owners used to control their slaves. To a large extent, this was done by undermining their society and culture. There was also a need to be lenient and caring so that the slaves would feel an obligation to the owner. Throughout the text it gives us almost a guide of major do's and don'ts of what you are supposed to do when you are a slave owner in the south. The guidebook explains such rules as undermining slave society and culture, and establishing domination over the slaves. Further, the author suggests that it was also important to be kind to them, and trick them into thinking that they had an obligation to the master. In other words, this article makes the assertion that slave owners dominate their slaves both physically and mentally.
This all speaks to how slave and plantation owners controlled their slaves and what limitations they set for themselves and their slaves. The article often tells us that the slave owners should maintain domination over the slaves. "Hammond's mastery over his bondsmen depended upon his success at undermining slave society and culture. He established a carefully designed plan of physical and psychological domination in hopes of destroying the foundations of black solidarity. Until he relinquished management of the estate to his sons in the late 1850s, Hammond kept extraordinarily detailed records. Including daily entries concerning the treatment, work patterns, and vital statistics of his slaves. " Physical domination is expected in a system where people were forced to live and work against their will. It is a physical matter to restrain people, and restrict their freedom. However, what is not so evident is the psychological aspect.
The article makes the case that physical domination alone would drive the slaves away. Slaves would become weary and not want to work for their "master.