Life under Slavery- Urban and Rural Slavery

Urban Slavery- Slaves filled skilled occupations such as blacksmithing or carpentry. Enslaved blacks could hire themselves out as artisans. Frederick Douglass said " a city slave is almost a freedman, compared with a slave on the plantation".

The population of slaves in America doubled in the years growing from 1.2 million to 2 million. Most slaves worked on small farms. Majority had been born in American and spoke some English which made if easier to communicate.

Rural Slavery-
Men, woman and even children worked on large plantations from dawn to dusk. By 1850 most slaves lived on plantations or large farms that employed 10 or more slaves.