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Upon arrival in America, slaves were fed and treated to make them “marketable” and then put on the market. Slave prices depended on market conditions. For example, in 1795 an African imported was worth $300, by 1849 it was $900, and on the eve of the Civil War it was $1,500 to $2,000.
Slaves were imported mainly for the tobacco and cotton plantations of the southern states. Africans were thrown out to work in batches and toiled for up to 18 to 19 hours a day, driven by the scourge of the overseer. Slaves were locked up at night and dogs were let loose in the area so that the men had no temptation or opportunity to escape.
But it was impossible to keep the especially brave ones away – the number of runaway slaves was growing, so in 1850, a law was passed that not only allowed, but also forced the search for runaway slaves all over the continent, even in places where slavery had already been abolished. For a slave to be recognized as a fugitive, all that was needed was for any white European to declare and certify under oath that the African was an escaped slave.
The average life expectancy of a slave under such conditions was only seven or ten years. The few who were servants, cooks and nannies fared a little better.
Slaves had no rights or freedoms and were considered the property of the owner: as much property as a horse in a stable or an outbuilding to a house. The owner could do whatever he wanted with them, which was not punishable by law in any way; in fact, it was even encouraged. Slaves were forbidden to learn to write, read, or in any way exhibit their mental faculties, and they were not allowed to walk in groups of more than seven without a white escort. In Virginia, if someone was caught after 9 p.m. in the street, they were immediately sentenced to be drawn and quartered. A slave who escaped and was caught had his ears cut off and his children’s hands and feet cut off for work not done. The slave owner could kill his slave if he wished.
