Family & Community in Slavery

• Slave marriages not recognized by law

• How could this affect families in slavery?

Family & Community in Slavery

• Kids could be sold to other plantations....others care for these kids

• Strong sense of family created

• stayed with same spouse

• Why would it be important to those in slavery to keep a strong sense of family?

Leisure of those in Slavery

• Sundays, Christmas to New Years off

• contests, story telling, corn husking, sang

• Allowed to visit family on other plantations...

  • ....has to be back next day

• Meetings with other Christians.....

  • .... for encouragement and learning

How might these leisure activities help those in slavery?

Slave Churches

• God was a source of comfort

• Those in slavery mixed their longing for freedom with their faith

• Church services had: music, sermons, private prayer meeting

• Slave churches could be illegal too

Culture of those in Slavery

• Faith and cultural traditions helped slaves cope

• Stressed:

  • family & cooperation

  • passing on valuable lessons

• Why would those ideas of family, cooperation, and faith be important to those in slavery?