1. Chapter 13 Section 3: The Slave System

2. Slaves and Work Enslaved African Americans lived and worked on rural farms and plantations, and did a variety of __________. On larger plantations, slaves were assigned specific jobs, and most worked in the _________. Supervisors known as _______, who were sometimes slaves themselves, made sure that slave followed orders and carried out punishments. Working in the Field: Most plantation owners used the _________ system, and in this system, all field hands worked on the same task at the same time. Men, women, and even children older than 10 usually did the same tasks. _______ and ________ weather rarely stopped the work.

3. Working in the Planter’s Home: Some slaves worked as _____, _____, or _____ in the planter’s home. These slaves often had better food, clothing, and shelter than the field hands did, but they often worked _______ hours. Working at Skilled Jobs: On larger plantations, some slaves worked at skilled jobs, such as ________ or _______. Sometimes planters let these slaves _____ their services to other people, collecting a portion of what was earned. Some skilled slaves earned enough money to buy their _______ from their slaveholders.

4. Life Under Slavery: Generally, slaveholders viewed slaves as _______, not as people. Slaveholders bought and sold slaves to make a __________. The most common method of sale was at an ______, which often determined whether families would be kept together or separated. Some traders even kidnapped ______ African Americans and sold them into slavery. One such example was Solomon Northrup, a free man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. He spent ___ years as a slave until he proved his identity and gained his release.

5. Living Conditions: Enslaved people often endured _____ living conditions. Planters housed them in _______ cabins with few furnishings and often leaky roofs. Clothing was usually _____ and made of _______, coarse fabric. Slaves brightened up their clothing by _______ on designs from discarded scraps of material to express their individuality. Slaves did what they could to ______ their small food rations. Some planters allowed them to keep their own _______, and chickens for ______.

6. Punishment and Slave Codes: Some planters offered more _____ and better _______ conditions to encourage slaves’ obedience. However, most slaveowners used _______ instead, often punishing one in front of others as a ______ to them all. To further control slaves’ actions, many states passed strict laws called ______ ______. Some laws prevented slaves from traveling, from reading, and some states allowed the ______ and _____ of anyone caught teaching slaves to read and write.

7. Family and Community: _______ was the most important aspect of slave communities, and many slaves feared _________ more than they feared punishment. Slave parents kept their ________ alive by passing down family histories as well as African _______ and traditions. They also told ________, or stories with a moral, to teach lessons on how to survive slavery.

8. Religion: By the early 1800’s many slaves were ________. Some slaves sang _________, emotional Christian songs that blended African and European music. Slaves blended some aspects of their traditional African religions with those of their slaveholders religion. They worshipped in _________, out of sight of slaveholders. Some historians have called the slave religion the ____________ ___________.

9. Seeds of Rebellion: In small ways, slaves rebelled against the system daily. Sometimes they worked _______ to protest long hours in the fields. Other times they ____ ____ for a few days to avoid an angry slaveholder. Often they only ran away for short periods, to visit relatives instead of running away permanently. Gaining freedom by escaping to the ________ was hard. If discovered they were captured and sent back to their slaveholders, where they faced certain __________ or ___________.

10. Slave Uprising: Although violent slave revolts were relatively _____, white southerners lived in _____ of them. The most violent slave revolt in the country occurred in 1831 and is known as _____ _______ __________. Nat Turner, a slave from VA, believed that God had told him to end slavery. Turner led a group of slaves in a plan to kill all of the ____________ and their families in the country. More than _____ innocent slaves who were not part of the rebellion were killed in an attempt to stop the rebellion. Turner himself hid in _______ and in the ______ for six weeks before he was caught and put on trial. He was executed on _______ 11, 1831. After the rebellion, many states strengthened their _______ ________.