What Role Did Overseer Play In The Cotton Industry

Each role of plantations was like a different member of a company; planters were the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), overseers were the Chief Operating Officer (COO), and slaves were low-level employees. Planters and overseers ran the business, whilst slaves did most of the work. Plantation owners, called planters, had a boat load of responsibilities – ranging from levels of difficultness. They had to produce and sell the cotton, buy supplies, take care of their slaves, and make a schedule for their cotton. Without the planters, the cotton industry may not have survived for as long as it did, which would ultimately have ruined the textile industry. Overseer's jobs were to watch over the slaves as they worked, making sure they did a proper job. The overseer's were reckless and abusive, beating the slaves more than their owners did. Despite how badly they treated the slaves, they were a necessity. Without them, it would've been much easier for the slaves to escape, and the textile industry to fall. …show more content…
Day in and day out, the slaves picked hundreds of pounds of cotton. This was a tremendous amount of work to do, although it was easier with the invention of Eli Whitney's cotton gin. In conclusion, each member of the cotton plantations had a role – planters would run the business, overseers would watch the slaves, and the slaves would pick cotton. All three areas worked together to produce and sell cotton