Ill and Injured Children on Antebellum Slave Plantations: A Dangerous Childhood

The United States had ended its participation in the international slave trade as of 1808, and slaveholders knew that slavery could remain profitable for future generations only if enough enslaved children survived to replace older slaves who died each year. [...]high rates of sickness and death sug...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	The Southern quarterly 2016-04, Vol.53 (3), p.56-69
Main Author:	Schwartz, Marie Jenkins
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	1800-1899 19th century Adults African Americans American literature antebellum period Child slaves childhood Children Children & youth Childrens health folk histories folk literature folk narrative Health and hygiene History Illnesses Medical personnel Morbidity Mortality Nurses Parents & parenting Physicians plantation life Plantations Pointing prose sickness slavery Southern American writers Southern States Southern United States United States
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Summary:	The United States had ended its participation in the international slave trade as of 1808, and slaveholders knew that slavery could remain profitable for future generations only if enough enslaved children survived to replace older slaves who died each year. [...]high rates of sickness and death suggested failure on the part of owners to care adequately for the youngsters, which encouraged a growing number of people, particularly in the North, to call for its end. Throughout the antebellum era, they prioritized profits and warded off criticism about the treatment of ill and injured children by pointing to the shortcomings of parents and nurses in the slave quarter.
ISSN:	0038-4496 2377-2050