What was Life Like on the Plantations? (SQA National 5 History): Revision Note

Summary

By the time an enslaved person reached a plantation, they had already endured capture in Africa, life in a slave factory, the horrors of the middle passage and then been further dehumanised through an auction. 

Many enslaved people died in the first few weeks or months from dysentery, malnutrition and several types of worm infections. The change of diet and climate, and European diseases to which they had little immunity, also contributed to high death rates. Enslaved people were already weakened by the trauma of the middle passage voyage and the addition of exposure to diseases, inadequate nutrition, bad water, exhaustion from being worked from sunrise to sunset and violence led to more deaths.

Housing and clothing on the plantations

Housing

• Enslaved people were forced to live in ‘slave villages’ on the plantations

  • These were collections of poor quality ‘houses’ (often little more than wooden huts) built at a distance from the Great House, close to the fields

• Often, enslaved people were forced to build their own homes

• These homes were usually built from wood with thatched roofs and earthen floors

  •  They contained a limited amount of furniture and some basic cooking facilities

    • Bedding was often made out of straw 

    • More than ten people often shared the huts

• These houses were inadequate during colder or stormier weather

Clothing

• It was stated in the 'Slave Codes' that plantation owners had to provide captives with at least one set of clothes per year

• Usually, this consisted of coarse woollen clothing made from Welsh cotton

• The clothing provided was not suitable for the heat of Caribbean summers and too flimsy to provide enough warmth in colder weather. 

• Often, enslaved people were not always provided with shoes, sometimes working barefoot

  • Enslaved people working in the Great House would usually be provided with more items of clothing of a slightly better standard

Diet and health on the plantations

• Food for enslaved Africans was rationed by plantation owners

• Weekly rations consisted of imported food such as salted herring, salted mackerel, beans, maize, sweet potatoes and biscuit bread

  • These rations rarely provided enough calories to survive

  • Furthermore, the imported food supplies could be irregular, leading to periods of hunger and even starvation for the enslaved African people

What were provision grounds?

• Enslaved people were often provided with provision grounds to grow their own food

• Fruits and vegetables such as yams, plantains and bananas were grown on provision grounds

  • Sometimes chickens would also be farmed

• Provision grounds were often on land that was difficult to farm, often resulting in poor harvests 

• Some enslaved Africans died from starvation or diseases caused by malnutrition

  • For instance, in 1776, 400 enslaved people died on St Kitts and Nevis

Disease and illness

• The poor diet, combined with the exhausting nature of plantation work, meant that enslaved people were more vulnerable to diseases on the plantations

  • Diseases like yaws, smallpox, dysentery, dropsy and ‘dirt-eating’ were common on plantations

• Enslaved women played a key role in providing care for other enslaved people who were ill or injured

  • Herbal remedies were often used due to a lack of supplies

• It was in the plantation owners' interests to stop diseases from spreading amongst the enslaved people

  • Disease and sickness meant that people were unable to work, which affected profits

    • Larger plantations sometimes included a ‘hot houses’ or ‘sick houses’ where doctors would visit

• The poor diet and harsh working conditions often resulted in a loss of fertility for enslaved women

Working conditions on the plantations: Field work

• The majority of enslaved people on sugar plantations were forced to work in the fields

• Enslaved field labourers worked from dawn to dusk with little protection from the sun

  • Their main role was to sow, tend and harvest the sugar cane

  • These tasks were often physically and mentally exhausting

• A typical day for an enslaved field worker included:

  • A 4 am wake-up

  • By 5 am, they were expected to be in the sugar fields working

  • At 9 am, they would have breakfast in the fields

  • Around midday, they would be given a short break for lunch

  • They would then continue to work until 6 pm

• Field labourers would be watched by a white overseer and a driver selected from the enslaved population

  • Drivers often carried out punishments directed by overseers

• The specific role given to the drivers meant that they avoided the most physically demanding tasks

  • They were also given better food, clothing and often better housing

  • Drivers had to deal with the emotional trauma of carrying out whippings and other punishments

    • Drivers could be ordered to beat members of their own family

    • If they failed to carry out beatings, drivers would face even harsher punishments from overseers

Working conditions: Domestic servants

• In the Great House, enslaved people were forced to work as domestic servants:

  • Cooks

  • Maids

  • Nannies

• These roles were mainly performed by enslaved women

  • Enslaved men who were too old to continue working in the fields could also be given roles in the Great House

• Work in the Great House was less physically demanding than field work, but came with other challenges

  • Enslavers were always close by, meaning enslaved domestic servants often faced more physical and verbal abuse

• Domestic servants played a vital role in resistance and rebellion

  • They could steal food and other goods from the Great House

  • They knew when the owners would be absent from the plantation

Working conditions: other roles

• Other roles enslaved people were forced to carry out on plantations included:

  • Sugar mill jobs

  • Masonary

  • Carpentry

  • Blacksmith

Working in the sugar mill

• Working in the sugar mill or boiling house was a dangerous and pressured job

  • Enslaved workers in the sugar mill fed cut sugar cane through heavy metal rollers

  • There were dangers of limbs getting caught in the machinery

  • When this happened, the limb would be amputated by machete

• In the boiling house, the juice from the crushed sugar cane was boiled in large pots until it crystallised

  • The conditions in the boiling house were unbearably hot

  • Enslaved boiler house workers often worked 24-hour shifts at harvest time

    • Accidents due to exhaustion were common, leading to scalds, burns and even deaths

Other plantation roles

• Other plantation roles included carpenters, masons and blacksmiths

• Some plantations also raised livestock

  • Enslaved people would be tasked with looking after these animals

• Another role performed by enslaved people was a carter - this was someone responsible for sending goods to and from the plantation

• Larger plantations might also have enslaved people who were forced to work as  distillers and coopers

• Enslaved people working in these roles often received better treatment from enslavers

  • Due to their skilled work, they were more valuable to enslavers and could be sold to other plantations for a higher price

  • They were better fed and were often given slightly better housing

  • They were not as closely watched as enslaved field labourers or domestic servants