"The Qualities of Slave Labor and Racism" During the Nineteenth Century many denied the realities that went on in slave plantations. An honest writer by the name of Olmsted searched for the differences between Northern and Southern plantations. As much as he disliked it, he begun to realize that their intelligence and limitations were far more then expected. As other young writers confronted this issue, the arguing over inferiority and where it came from came into play; this helped realize the qualities of slavery.
Without a doubt, we can say that the treatment of slaves was wrong. Most of us today seem to understand that slaves where not well taken care of and abused. The treatment that was seen by Olmsted was different from what we think. Slaves were understood to be very expensive in the eighteen hundreds, so it would only make sense to take care of them. It was to be seen that they were in good health and in top shape.
Scars of a whipped slave (April 2, 1863, Baton Rou...
Perspectives on slavery
A 13th century book illustration produced in Baghd...To make sure of this, they were given healthy meals and adequate attention. This was an important factor for the plantation so that the slaves can stay on schedule with their duties. Games were even held on plantations and prizes were given away to the winners. This helped see the strong and establish competition to speed up consumptions on the field.
Ashamed at what he saw, Olmsted realized that slaves were working very smart. From the outside workers he witnessed that they worked together as if they were a team. They used harmonious movements to get through their fieldwork. The team that began would lead the chain of events; whereas, one group could not function until the other was complete, and interesting enough they succeeded in working off each other in sync. This was very hard to do especially in harsh climates; Olmsted reported that the slave's concentration was intense.
In other plantations, Olmsted began to see leadership inside slavery. As understood to most, the white slave owner would coordinate and keep workers on task. In some plantations black slaves were doing this kind of work. They were very efficient, and they took a lot of pride in their job. In other fields it was seen that the slaves were also handling the whole plantation growth and production. The slave owners on the other hand only looked into buying necessary equipment and new slaves. This was very important because it showed that blacks did not lack intelligence as whites thought they did.
Slaves could do a lot in hard working climates, and their limitations were far more then what a white servant could do. White people were just simply not used to working like slaves did. They seemed to develop a stronger fatigue. No one else could do the jobs that slaves did, and this was why so many slaves populated the Americas. There were simply no others who could do the job or handle the harsh working conditions provided.
White inferiority over the black race later became an issue. It was clear to the whites that they thought themselves to be more superior workers, but some believed that slaves were better workers then themselves. Even the blacks were starting to realize that they could do things that whites couldn't, which later lead to slave revolts. This can be argued, in many ways, how or what made slaves rebel. Some saw it to come from racial factors, origin, or resistance. The source seems to be evident, if you hold it on top of the slaveholders. Some slaveholders believe themselves to be better workers. Ever since slaveholders let the slaves do things on there own, they saw how smart they were and how independent they could be. They saw slaves as if they were individuals, rather than property. These racial views brought forward the best of their qualities.
In conclusion, we can see the "qualities of slave labor". It was very effective towards, economical improvements and social status. It helped to see the qualities of the slaves, and their strength. When studying the routines of the slaves, whites realized how independent and well off the slaves were when given the proper care and chance to lead themselves. Many racist whites will beg to differ about the idea of slaves being capable of being independent in any way. The routines that slaves performed on the fields of white's plantations had a great deal of effect, and the ability of the slaves would eventually grow stronger.
English: A black & white illustration of a Persian...
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Lyle Closs, Slavery