culture

Slaves’ Culture - half of the total population in the “Black Belt,” or “cotton belt” o South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkanasas, Texas - Most slaves worked in “gangs” under an overseer - Slaves frequently had spouses - Female-headed families were the norm - Breakup of families through sale showed the depth of kinship feelings - Many slaves tried to shape their own sales in order to be sold with family members or to the same neighborhood - Kinship provided a model of personal relationships Elderly slaves were addressed by everyone else as “uncle” and “aunty” and younger unrelated slaves commonly called each other “brother” or “sister”