9781422274248

culture from their parents. Slave children took on adult working responsibilities much earlier than they do today, often around the age of eight or nine years old. Slave owners recognized the value of having slave babies born, raised, and kept healthy, so they could become productive workers as adults. By the nineteenth century, it was fairly common on larger plantations for nurseries to be created for slave children. The female slaves would leave their infants and young children to be tended by older children, who would be watched in turn by older female slaves. Keeping children away from their working parents served two functions for the slave owners. With slave children at the nursery, their mothers did not need to take breaks to tend to their offspring and could therefore work longer and harder. The other purpose was to instill discipline in slave children from an early age. A result of having less contact with their parents was a more compliant, trained child.

Scan here for a brief overview of American slavery.

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WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN SLAVERY