The Overseer
What did an overseer do?
The overseer directed work on the plantation
The number of lashes a slave would receive depended on
The seriousness of the offense
What jobs did house slaves have to do?
Cooking, cleaning, etc.
What were the houses mostly made of?
Wood. They were log cabins
What would the overseer do if he caught a slave not working?
He would whip them
Another reason why slaves were whipped is because
It was a form of mind and body control
What did house slaves receive that made them more superior to field slaves?
They were given better food, and they were sometimes given the family's old clothes.
About how many slaves were distributed to each cabin?
10-12 slaves, or two "families" per cabin
How many pounds of cotton a day did the slaves have to pick?
200 pounds
Would the owner whip the slaves? If no, who did?
The Overseer
What better living conditions did house slaves have?
They had better beds, a stable bed frame, and heated rooms.
What would slaves sleep on?
Small wooden planks, rags, or straw
Why were slaves more scared of the overseer than the master?
The overseer was in charge of disciplining the slaves.
How did whipping brainwash the slaves?
It kept them committed to their work in fear of getting whipped.
Some house slaves were treated similarly to the ________ of the slave owners.
Children
Did the cabins have heating, air conditioning, or electricity?
No
Overseers were considered the _________ in the South's hierarchy
Middlemen
What would they do if a pregnant woman was to get whipped?
They would dig a hole for her belly to rest on.
What illegal action would family members do to their slaves?
They would educate them by teaching them to read and write.
What did some cabins have attached to the side of their cabins?
A small garden, yet most of the time the slaves didn't have time to take care of it.