Slavery

Family was the key to survival in the slave life. The love slaves had for their parents clearly reveal the importance of their family. Even though the slave's father or mother could not protect their family from abuse they could gain their love and respect in many other ways.

The family had no legal existence in slavery, and this was one of the most important survival mechanisms for the slaves. The family was frequently broken; it was mainly responsible for the slave's ability to survive on the plantation without becoming totally dependent on and submissive to his master. Planters attempted to promote sexual morality in the quarters, punished slaves for adultery, and recognized the male as the head of the family.

The imbalance in the sex ration among Latin American slaves was partly a result of the planter's initial lack of interest in reproducing the slave population and his preference for importing more males than females from Africa. This ratio controlled the development of monogamous mating arrangements. The sex ration among slaves was more nearly equal in most Southern states than among whites.

The white man's lust for black women was one of the most serious impediments the development of morality. Few slave parents could protect their daughters from the sexual advances of white men. Women were literally forced to offer themselves willingly and receive a gift for their compliance rather than a beating for their refusal and resistance. Sexual relations between black men and white women went undetected because the children resulting from such unions were light enough to pass for white. The link between sin and sex was not as pervasive among slaves as among whites, it was an inevitable connection of the Christianization of the blacks. Sexual conquest became a highly respected avenue to status in the quarters. If he won her affections he often had to obtain the consent of her parents.

When slaves wanted to get married or divorced they had to give a month's notice to their master. Most slaveholders did not care about the sexual customs of their slaves as long as there was no fighting. The planters were actually more interested in encouraging monogamy because it was helpful to discipline, because of any interest in encouraging morality in the quarters. The marriage ceremony in most cases consisted of the slaves simply getting the master's permission and moving into a cabin together. On many plantations masters and slaves developed a humorous test to determine who would exercise the most authority in a marriage. The couple was required to jump over a broom stick. The partner jumping over first, highest, or without falling was recognized by the wedding party as the one who would wear the pants or rule the family. Many ministers and missionaries performed slave weddings from many denominations. Masters urged to promote morality in the quarters by requiring slaves to be married by regularly ordained ministers and to observe the obligations of marriage. One of the first great issues confronting Southern churches with black members was the impact of the forcible separation of the mates upon a slave union.

The most brutal aspect of slavery was the separation of families. This was a haunting