A chain of command refers to the power structure of a society. Within the chain, those positioned at the top executes their right of power by asserting commands; in which, the lower-ranked personnel procedurally carries out the orders. The history of the early United States paints an image of this chain of command. At the bottom of the chain were slaves. Stationed at the top were masters whose authority and command on the plantations were law - as they would have liked to believe. Although masters were successful in establishing a chain of command over their slaves, in actuality an even higher authority casted a shadow over the master-slave structure of power. By day, the sun is essential to the growth of crops; in turn, controlling the daily composition of slaves and masters. By night, the sun's absence provided slaves with an opportunity to express their personal independence; an opportunity seldom available under a master's supervision. As the true authority on plantations, the solar cycle of the sun subverted the chain of command amongst master and slave by controlling the daily lives of both - ultimately shaping the history of slavery. .
Though masters were, in their own regard, the law in which slaves had to obey; the true overseer of the plantations was the solar cycle. The sun's presence fueled crops with the natural light energy it needs in order for growth. As the crop flourished, so did the plantation master's ambitions to cultivate the crops more quickly and in more abundance. The growth of crops and this ambition, caused by the solar cycle, established a relationship between labor and slaves. Labor hours were in accordance to the cycles of the sun. Mary Reynolds reflects this relationship between the sun and labor hours in, "The conch shell blowed afore daylight and all hands better get out for roll call or Solomon beat the door down and git them out11." In her quote, the ex-slave Reynolds describes her experiences of being woken up by her master before sunrise.