Regimentation and Regulation

When thinking of the regimentation of plantation life, slavery is synonymous.  The plantation owners and oversees were fearful of revolts by slaves so they instituted strict regimens and living regulations.  The owners used the regimens to ensure control.  As the article by Mark Smith shows, life for slaves on a plantation was strictly regulated by time.  As true of most plantations, a bell was sounded at 0400 to awaken the slaves, a bell at 0430 signaled the time to start work, a bell around noon signaled mealtime and a short rest period, and a bell at dusk meant quitting time.  The entire lives of slaves revolved around the ringing of a bell, and were enforced by slashes of the whip by overseers.  Slaves’ lives were regulated by the owners in almost every aspect.  There food was rationed to them on a weekly basis and oftentimes withheld as a means of punishment for a runaway or a less productive worker.  Not only was there food rationed, they were given the same diet daily. Slaves were provided with usually 2 sets of clothes per year only.  The type, color, material, and make of the clothes were decided by the owners and uniform throughout the ranks. Many owners wouldn’t allow pockets for fear of theft.  Slaves rest time was limited to nights, and Sundays only.  The housing was strictly controlled, and usually divided among the slaves according to what job they performed (Thomas, B. 1998).  Slaves were further regulated even through legislation, which banned the owning of firearms by slaves, and even toward the turn of the century prohibited alcohol consumption by blacks.  Many plantation owners had contracts with a local physician, but they alone decided if and when medical treatment would be allowed.

            Other examples of the regimentation of plantation life in regards to slaves were the treatment of family units. Slaves were allowed and even encouraged to marry and have children, since this would guarantee future slaves for the plantation without purchase.  Families were allowed to occupy one room areas within the slave quarters to promote the health of future generations (Schwartz, M. 1996).   Families were allowed, but their functions were still strictly mandated by the owners.  Women were allowed usually one month after confinement to care for babies to ensure good health of the future generations.  Women were given scheduled nursing breaks during the work time also.  Children had some degree of freedom until the age of 10-12 years when they entered the fields.  The owners provided lessons to the children in order to promote their being seen as the ones in charge and undermine the authority of parents, thereby preventing rebellious ideals and confusion as to who as superior (Phillips, U. 1938).  Rules and regimented lives of the slaves were in place to ensure order and control on a plantation where owners were constantly in fear of rebellion.  By controlling every aspect of the slaves’ lives, they projected power and superiority onto themselves.

Melissa Armstrong