How was motherhood affected by slavery?

Numerous facets of slavery impacted the health of pregnant women and their children in ways that made disability a central concern for enslaved mothers. During gestation, hard physical labor, inadequate diet, and abuse took a steep toll on pregnant women and their unborn children.

How did slaves care for their children?

Slave children, under their parents and masters, lived in fear of punishment and isolation. Though circumstances widely varied, they often worked in fields with adults, tended animals, cleaned and served in their owners’ houses, and took care of younger children while their parents were working.

What kind of family life did slaves have?

Some enslaved people lived in nuclear families with a mother, father, and children. In these cases each family member belonged to the same owner. Others lived in near-nuclear families in which the father had a different owner than the mother and children.

What is the partus sequitur Ventrem principle?

Partus sequitur ventrem was a legal doctrine passed in colonial Virginia in 1662 and other English crown colonies in the Americas which defined the legal status of children born there; the doctrine mandated that all children would inherit the legal status of their mothers.

How did slaves resist?

Many resisted slavery in a variety of ways, differing in intensity and methodology. Among the less obvious methods of resistance were actions such as feigning illness, working slowly, producing shoddy work, and misplacing or damaging tools and equipment.

What is enslaved person?

To enslave someone is to force that person to work for no pay, to obey commands, and to lose his or her freedom. The ancient Greeks were known to enslave groups of people they defeated in military battles. It’s less common today for one group of people to enslave another, but unfortunately it does still happen.

What was the term applied to slaves who had recently arrived from Africa?

What was the system of chattel slavery created by English colonists in North America? What was the term applied to slaves who had recently arrived from Africa? New Negroes. How did slaves, who came from different parts of Africa, communicate with one another once on plantation in America?