Fredrick Douglass was a writer who boldly wrote about the treatment of slaves while in captivity. his reading experience made him an influential person in the late 1800's.
He spent two years of his childhood years living on the plantation; it was here he got his first impression of slavery. in his writing Fredrick Douglass describes how he witnessed bloody transaction. If a slave was convicted of any high misdemeanor, or unmanageable, or attempted to run away he was severley whipped, put on board the sloop, carried to Baltimore, and sold to Austin Wool Folks, or some other slave-trader, as a warning to the remaining slaves.
He stated that the men and women slaves recieved eight pounds of pork, to its equivalent in fish and a bushel of corn meal. Their yearly clothing consisted of two coarse linen shirts, one pair of linen trouses, like shirts one jacket, one pair of shoes; jackets, nor trouses were given to them. Children of both sexes were almost naked might be seen almost at all season of the year. They had no beds to sleep in, only the men and women, children were exempted. they 're sleeping time was limited, when their work in the field was done they had to do their washing, mending and cooking and having to work with no resources at all. When they fell asleep married men and women all jammed together on the cold damp floor, covering themselves with their blankets. when daybreak the horn is sounded off for the slaves to report to the plantation, those who did not rise were wiped with large hickory stick and heavy cowskin.
Fredrick Doiuglass further stated that he witnessed Mr. Severe a curel overseer, whip a woman causing blood to run half an hour at a time; in front of her crying children, pleading for their mother's release, this was curelty, he also blasphemy and cursed at them. Mr Hopkins who was different replaced Severe. He wiped the slaves but seems to take no place in it. The slaves called him a good overseer.