# data[].attributes.body
Slavery was a system that centered around the thought of humans of other ethnicities as cargo and legal property to be bought and sold. Slaves were expected to do as they were commanded without question or hesitation and were controlled by the constant threat of punishment hanging over their heads. Treatment like this was designed to strip the slaves of their identity and morals and reduce them to animals designed to do hard labor. New names were assigned to the African American people who were enslaved and they were often torn away from family and close relatives. They were forbidden to learn how to read and write and those who had been educate were not encouraged to do anything with it or punished for sharing knowledge with other slaves. Owners were afraid that with knowledge would come retaliation and they would lose their sole production of income and wealth. To purchase many slaves, you had to have immense amounts of wealth, as slaves were not cheap to purchase. Well and able male slaves were the equivalent of a sports car in today's terms. African people were predominantly the victims of slavery in the Southern States and Slavery was a huge part of the way of life in the Southern States during the 1800's . During this time, Virginia had the highest population of African american slaves, at one point harboring almost 500 000 slaves. They weren't seen as humans or given the rights we are used to having today. They were seen as inferior because of the color of their skin and were used to complete laborious jobs. The treatment of these people was brutal and unjust. Punishment was frequent and it kept the slave " in line".  This topic is a very huge part of history and own that should be learned about.  I have three inquiries about this topic :

1. How many people were enslaved during this time in Virginia? And how were they transported from their homeland?

2. How many people escaped their captors and how did they do it?

3. What was the treatment like to these slaves and what things were they forced to do? How were they bought and sold?

# data[].attributes.body
There were 490 865 slaves documented in the state of Virginia in 1860. There was the highest population of slaves in Virginia during the 1800's. Many of the slaves were transported on ships under horrible conditions and were often shackled during the length of the journey and given meager amounts of food. Slave ships carried anywhere from 250 slaves to 600 slaves and were packed together with little or no room to themselves. Most slaves were left on ships for months waiting to sail while the ship was prepared and loaded and in such close quarters to one another, it was easy for illness and disease to spread. When they boarded, they were inspected and poked and prodded and if they didn't meet specific standards, they were thrown over board. Revolts on these ships were common but none were ever successful or lead to any reformations. When slaves arrived in the Americas and Europe, if owners had already claimed slaves they were branded and transported to the plantations or farms of the owner. In most cases, the African slaves were sold at auction and branded to indicate who they belonged to. Families were torn apart when slaves were bought and sold and it stripped slaves of their identity further.

# data[].attributes.body
The transportation and auctioning of slaves in the US

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Roots: A History Revealed - The Slave Auction | History

# data[].attributes.headline
Take the Risk to Escape or Stay and Endure the Adversity

# data[].attributes.subject
Take the Risk to Escape or Stay and Endure the Adversity

# data[].attributes.body
Even though punishments for escaping could include whipping or even death, many attempted and succeeded in escaping through the underground railroad and other passages. In 1863, it was estimated that over 10 000 slaves had escaped from Virginia. Over 100 000 slaves from all over the South escaped by using the underground railroad. Most camped out in the forest or swamps surrounding plantations and Others attempted unusual and risky ways to escape. A man named Henry Brown, who was born into slavery in Virginia, shipped himself in a wooden crate. He spent 27 hours inside the crate while he was transported by wagon, steamboat and train, when finally he arrived in Philadelphia.   Those who were too scared to attempt the escape, waited it out and hoped to be freed while finding ways to cope like singing, dancing and even though it was forbidden, creating relationships with other slave within the plantation.

# data[].attributes.body
Although the system of slavery offered little forms of freedom, slaves had their own small ways of surviving and fighting back

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Roots: A History Revealed - Forms of Rebellion | History

# data[].attributes.headline
The Buying and Selling and Treatment of Human Beings

# data[].attributes.subject
The Buying and Selling and Treatment of Human Beings

# data[].attributes.body
The slaves were treated like they were less than human and with extreme racism and brutality. Jobs carried out by slaves included cotton picking,harvesting sugarcane, planting and harvesting rice, tending to and harvesting tobacco and growing coffee. Some worked on railroads, in dairy mills, butcher shops, weaved, did laundry and cooked. They had no say in what task they had to do or how long they worked for and often worked 12 hour days or from dawn until dusk. Slaves were often punished brutally for little or no reason. The degree of brutality they were faced with depended on who their owner was. Some slave masters or owners took into account certain slaves's talents and interests and gave them jobs that suited these things, thinking that it would help them do complete tasks quicker and with better quality. Others were less generous and used force to ensure the slaves were working quickly and to the satisfaction of the master. While they worked, religious songs and hymns were often sang as a big group in an attempt to somehow come together during such a horrific time. Whipping, branding , public humiliation, sexual abuse and a torture device called The Bit were all parts of the cruel punishment towards African American slaves in Virginia. Any rebellion or questioning was punishable by one of these or murder. The auctions African American slaves were bought at sold at in The Southern States saw thousands of slaves bought and sold into working for slave owners on their plantations. The cost of the slaves depended on the ability of the person, the age and the gender.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
12 years a slave - choir song - ''roll jordan roll'' 2013

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Alicia Keys - Queen Of The Field Patseys Song

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Oh Freedom! - The Golden Gospel Singers (Lyrics in Description)

# data[].attributes.body
http://evblog.virginiahumanities.org/2011/12/slavery-by-the-numbers/
https://vahistorical.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/how-did-slaves-escape/

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/myths.htm

https://mises.org/library/brutality-slavery
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-slavery-gave-capitalism-its-start
https://phys.org/news/2016-04-people-modern-slavery.html
https://www.britannica.com/topic/slavery-sociology
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1624_story_of_africa/page53.shtml