Georgia Cotton Kingdom

Appomattox Plantation

 

Aside from the hours of work every day, the slaves are given very little freedom especially since the work hours were usually extended to meet the high demands of the plantation masters and the markets’. The slaves were given little to wear and little to eat. For instance, at Appomattox Plantation in Virginia, they were given regular clothing twice a year. For the men, a suit was given once a year and for the women, a dress was given once a year. Richard Eppes, the owner of the plantation gave food to the slave as “allowances.” “A peck and half to the men and a peck to the women.” This mean the male slaves were given two and a half pounds of meat to eat and the women and boys over fourteen were given two pounds of meat to eat. The amount was doubled due to the recommendation of the slaves’ physician in 1859. The food was given every two weeks meaning that each person had to ration the food. However, looking at the amount of food before 1859, it was an extremely little amount of food for the slaves that had their quotas increased, along with the work hours and workload.

           

 

The workers did not always follow the orders of the plantation owners. They tried to resist their masters in little ways. They feigned illnesses or injuries or stole food or even be late to work. The slaves on this plantation actually had more freedom than most people would think. The slaves were allowed to partake in personal activities after work/in the evening, and on Saturday afternoon, and on Sundays and on major holidays.  The slaves were allowed to have gardens and crops of their own. Some even owned animals such as chickens. They are able to keep them during their spare time. The average black family net worth during this time was less than a thousand, compared to the whites’ average of over a hundred thousand. Truly the Cotton Gin brought forth the golden age of the Cotton Kingdom, but it also intensified the harshness of the lives of slaves.