The Life of An Enslaved Person - Examining the Difficult Conditions and Limited Freedoms of Enslaved Individuals

🔗 Enslaved African-Americans endured unimaginable conditions, including lack of basic necessities, back-breaking labor, and no compensation.

⛓️ Hundreds of thousands of Africans were forcibly taken from their homes, chained, and transported on slave ships to the British colonies in America.

🌍 The journey on slave ships was horrifying, with cramped conditions, low ceilings, and high mortality rates.

🔑 The lives of enslaved people were influenced by their location and type of work.

💔 Enslaved people were treated as property and could be sold away from their families at any time.

🔁 Auctions were traumatic events where African families were split apart and never saw each other again.

💼 Enslaved people worked from a young age until death, with most working in the fields on plantations or farms.

🌾 Growing cotton was the main occupation for southern enslaved people, and picking cotton was a difficult and painful job.

🏠 Enslaved people lived in small, poorly constructed cabins with multiple individuals sharing a single hut.

🏠 Enslaved families had to share small cabins, leading to interference and a lack of privacy.

⏰ Long work hours made it difficult for enslaved families to spend time together.

🛏️ Enslaved people had limited furniture and slept on straw or rags in overcrowded cabins.

👖 Enslaved people had ill-fitting and uncomfortable clothing made of coarse material.

🍽️ Enslaved people had limited food and often ate two to three meals a day without tables or chairs.

🌿 Some enslaved people were allowed to have small vegetable gardens to supplement their food rations.

🏃‍♂️ Escaping slavery was common but challenging due to slave catcher patrols and harsh conditions.

🌠 Enslaved people used songs like 'Follow the Drinking Gourd' to secretly communicate directions on how to escape and find freedom in the North.

🚂 The Underground Railroad was a network of safe houses and stations where escaped enslaved people could hide and receive assistance on their journey to free states and Canada.

🕯️ Runaways could recognize a station on the Underground Railroad by the presence of brightly lit candles or lanterns, signaling that help was available.

⭐ Enslaved people in America had their own wedding ceremonies, including the tradition of Jumping the Broom.

🙏 Religious services played a vital role in the lives of enslaved people, providing a sense of community and respite from their constant work.

🎶 Music became an important part of enslaved people's lives, serving as a form of expression and resilience in the face of hardship.

📚 Storytelling played a crucial role in preserving African culture and providing entertainment for enslaved people.

⛓️ The life of an enslaved person was incredibly difficult and dangerous, lasting for hundreds of years.

✊ Abolitionists and leaders like Abraham Lincoln fought for freedom and the end of slavery in America.