Topic: SLAVE LABOR IN ARKANSAS

Grade Level: Eighth through Ninth

Time: One class period

Ark. History

Frameworks: 1.1.1, 1.1.12, 1.1.13, 1.1.14, 1.1.15, 2.1.2, 2.1.7, 2.1.8, 2.1.9, 2.1.10, 2.1.11, 2.1.12

Objective: Students will gain an understanding of the types of work slaves performed in Arkansas.

Set: Write the topic on the board (Slave Labor). Ask students what type of work they do today on the farms and in town. Ask how that work is done today. Ask students to imagine how this work would have been done by the slaves.

Materials: Negro Slavery in Arkansas, Orville W. Taylor

Arkansas 1800-1860, S. Charles Bolton, Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Volume LV III, Spring 1999, Number 1.

Key Terms: plantation, artisan, laid-by, new-ground, overseer, public works, scrubbed, hoe

Key Facts: A. Slaves labored at all types of jobs in Arkansas during the years prior to emancipation.

B. Most were in the rural parts of the state.

1. Almost fifty percent of the slave population worked on cotton plantations.

a. When not in the cotton, they cleared new land, tended other crops like corn, wheat, tobacco, beans and peas, garden products. They also took care of the livestock and mended fences.

b. Some were in skilled positions like blacksmiths and carpenters.

2. House servants generally were set apart from the above group and spent most of their time in domestic labor: some were cooks, some were gardeners, and others were just general domestic laborers.

C. Slaves living in the towns labored.

1. Worked as house servants.

2. Worked in hotels, boarding houses, taverns, etc.

3. Many worked at typical day jobs like gardeners, painters, drivers, etc.

4. Slaves were often assigned public work jobs by their masters.

D. Hiring out.

1. Slave owners who lived in town often hired their slaves out as day hands to do jobs in the community.

2. Some were hired out for a season.

By John Heath