Glossary
Agricultural Work
Labor primarily focused on farming and plantation tasks, such as planting, harvesting, and tending to livestock, which formed the backbone of the Southern economy.
Example:
During the cotton season, enslaved people would spend long, arduous days engaged in agricultural work, picking cotton from sunrise to sunset.
Commodification
The process by which enslaved people and their valuable skills were treated as property or economic assets to be bought, sold, and exploited for profit by enslavers.
Example:
The auction block in New Orleans exemplified the commodification of human beings, where enslaved individuals were advertised and sold like any other valuable good.
Domestic Work
Labor performed within the household, including tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and childcare, often placing enslaved individuals in close, yet oppressive, proximity to enslavers.
Example:
A young enslaved woman might be assigned to the main house to perform domestic work, caring for the enslaver's children and managing household chores.
Gang System
A labor system where enslaved people worked in large groups from sunrise to sunset under constant supervision, typically used for labor-intensive crops like cotton, sugar, and tobacco.
Example:
On a large cotton plantation, enslaved people often worked under the gang system, toiling together in rows under the watchful eye of an overseer.
Gullah Creole Language
A unique creole language developed by enslaved Africans and their descendants in the Carolina lowcountry, combining elements of West African languages and English, serving as a testament to cultural resilience.
Example:
The distinct pronunciation and vocabulary of the Gullah creole language allowed communities to communicate and preserve cultural traditions across generations.
Institutional Enslavement
A system where enslaved people were bound to organizations like churches, factories, or colleges, rather than individual enslavers, often performing specialized tasks for the institution.
Example:
Some enslaved individuals experienced institutional enslavement, working to maintain the grounds and buildings of a university campus.
Linguistic Practices Preservation
The efforts by enslaved people to maintain and transmit their native languages or develop new creole languages, serving as a vital means of cultural connection and resistance.
Example:
Through linguistic practices preservation, the Gullah people maintained a unique creole language that connected them to their West African heritage.
North-South Economic Interdependence
The mutual reliance between the Northern and Southern economies, where Northern industries (like textile mills and banks) profited from Southern slave-produced goods, and the South relied on Northern finance and trade.
Example:
The textile mills in New England, which processed cotton grown by enslaved labor in the South, illustrate the profound North-South economic interdependence of the antebellum era.
Racial Wealth Disparities
Significant and persistent differences in wealth accumulation between racial groups, largely stemming from the historical legacy of slavery which denied Black Americans the ability to build generational wealth.
Example:
The inability of enslaved people to own property or earn wages directly contributed to the racial wealth disparities that continue to affect American society today.
Skilled Labor
Specialized trades and crafts performed by enslaved people, often utilizing skills brought from Africa or developed in America, such as blacksmithing, carpentry, tailoring, and healing.
Example:
An enslaved man with expertise in woodworking might perform skilled labor as a carpenter, building structures and furniture on the plantation.
Syncopated Rhythms
Musical rhythms characterized by accents on typically unaccented beats, a common feature in African American work songs and spirituals, reflecting African musical traditions.
Example:
The powerful and driving syncopated rhythms in the field hollers helped to energize and unify enslaved laborers.
Task System
A labor system where enslaved people were assigned a specific daily quota of work, and once completed, they had some autonomy over their remaining time, commonly used for rice and indigo cultivation.
Example:
In the Carolina lowcountry, enslaved people cultivating rice often worked under the task system, allowing them to tend to personal gardens or cultural practices after finishing their assigned daily work.
Variety of Labor Tasks
Enslaved people were forced to perform a wide array of jobs, encompassing domestic, agricultural, and skilled labor, regardless of their age or gender.
Example:
An enslaved person might spend their morning in the fields doing agricultural work and their afternoon assisting in the kitchen with domestic work.
Wealth Accumulation
The process of acquiring and building assets, property, and financial resources over time, which was systematically denied to enslaved people, leading to long-term economic inequality.
Example:
Unlike enslavers who built vast fortunes, enslaved people were prevented from any form of wealth accumulation, leaving them and their descendants at a severe economic disadvantage.
Work Songs
Musical expressions created and sung by enslaved people during labor, often featuring syncopated rhythms, which helped coordinate tasks, maintain pace, and express shared hardships and emotions.
Example:
As enslaved people harvested sugarcane, their rhythmic work songs helped them synchronize their movements and endure the grueling conditions.