Were the slaves working and living conditions really bad or do we exaggerate to make people feel sorry for African Americans? What you are about to read is a paper on slave working and living conditions. .
Most of the cabins were built to contain two families. Sometimes they got old boards and nailed them up over holes, they stuffed the smaller holes with rages. If there weren't enough boards or no boards they would they would hang up old clothes. When the family grew larger the children slept together (both boys and girls) and until some one got married, that is the way they would sleep. When a person got married another part of the cabin was assigned to them and there future children. The two families that lived in the cabin had to share one fireplace. When it got very warm, they would sleep under trees, until usually in the month of October when it grew to cold to sleep out side. In the rainy season living conditions worsened because the tops were partly open and they had and dirt floors. When it rained the water would come in and the floor would turn to mud. Their bedstead consisted of a board wide enough to sleep on. One end there was a stool and the other placed near the fire. Their pillows were what ever they could find. Blankets were given out rarely. The further north slaves got to sleep on mattresses stuffed with stiff dry cornhusks.
Their allowance was a peck of sifted corn meal, a dozen and a half herring, and two and a half pounds of pork every Sunday. No sugar, coffee or tea was given. Some people would eat this up in a few days! Then they would have to steal, or they couldn't perform their daily tasks. If they didn't perform their tasks they would be whipped. Slaves were not allowed to sit down at a table for meals except on harvest day, that is Thanksgiving Day. Every fall they were given one pair of woolen pantaloons, one woolen jacket, and two cotton shirts in the summer only one pair of linen trousers were given out.
