Slaves were not treated as human beings in the slave-holding South. They were treated as animals, nothing more than beasts of burden to their owners. The lives of the slaves were like hell on Earth. The exploitation of the slaves’ sweat and toil caring for and harvesting crops like tobacco, rice, sugar cane, and cotton brought high profits and riches to their owners. Slavery was called the “Peculiar Institution,” but more truthful names might be the Cruel Institution, or the Institution of Hell.

“When you is a slave, you ain’t got no mo’ chance than a bullfrog.” – Former slave Virginia Harris from Coahoma County, Mississippi.

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