Essay On Slave Families

When slave owners died their slaves were in their will for the next of kin to inherit. Being as though some slave owner children were now adults with their own families either the enslaved families had to move or if the slave owner children lived somewhere slaves were not allowed the enslaved families were auctioned off and it was not likely that the enslaved families were sold together. When families were separated, children often had to answer to adults they have never met and the older enslaved men and women had to take on the role of disciplining the child. Being separated it was hard to physically protect or financially support their families. Husbands could not protect their families from abuse or exploitation, and the primary role of slave women was the work they performed for their masters not their families. It was difficult for slaves to discipline their children because they had no authority over them. Masters assumed disciplinary control of slave children and weakened the ability of slave parents by disciplining them in front of their children. Even when families were able to live under the same roof, it was …show more content…
Many slave fathers played a big role in their family lives. Many slave owners allowed slave men to visit their family on weekends and holidays. Some owners provided slave fathers with access to transportation to facilitate these visits. Many fathers found ways to be involved in the lives of their wives and children when they lived close enough to do so. They provided emotional support, moral instruction, discipline, affection, and physical protection when possible. Often they brought their families extra food, and many taught their sons specialized skills such as hunting, trapping, fishing, metal and wood working, and the practice of folk medicine (Wiggins, 1980, pp.