Standard 8.7.1-2

SLAVE SONGS AND SOUTHERN PLANTATIONS

You only need to write what is highlighted in red!

Components of Plantations • There were certain components that every Plantation had.• The Great House- Home of the plantation owner and his family• Kitchen building- Building were food was prepared by slaves

for the Plantation owner and family.• Slave Huts- Small cabins usually the size of one room where

entire families would live and sleep.• Fields where crops were grown.

• Other Buildings on a plantation (Known as Dependencies)• Depending what type of crop was grown, there were additionally

buildings that supported the crop. • Ex. On a tobacco plantation there would be a building used to dry out the

tobacco.

• On a cotton farm there would be small buildings where cotton was first cleaned.

• A building for a blacksmith etc..

Slave Songs/Spirituals • There were three main types of slave songs or spirituals.

1. Religious songs

2. Work songs- Songs that gangs of slaves would sing in order to synchronize or coordinate their work.

3. Code songs- Songs that slaves sung in order to send messages to others: These messages could be simple:• Warnings of where the overseer or Plantation owner is, announcing

that the overseer or plantation owner is leaving or coming home etc…

• Communication of a planned escape.

• Messages to slaves passing by from or to slaves on other plantations.

Requirements for Plantation Layout• You will be sketching a plantation layout.

A. Your plantation must have the following items1. The Great House

2. Kitchen building

3. Slave Huts

4. Fields where crops were grown.

5. One Dependency building

Slave Narrative or Slave Song• You will choose one of two products to write on the back of your Plantation layout, either1. A slave narrative: You will pretend that you are a slave on

the plantation you just drew. You will describe the plantation from the point of view of a slave. In your narrative you must :

a. Say who you are (Give yourself a profile: Name, Age, Gender, Job (Field Slave, House Slave), Married, Children)

b. Describe your plantation and what you do there.

c. Describe your master (Is he cruel and beat you often, is he “nice” explain)

d. Describe any plans you have, are you going to try and escape, do you want to learn to read, do you want to have children etc.

Slave Narrative or Slave Song2. A Slave Song/ Spiritual: You will pretend that you are a

slave on the plantation that you drew. You will be writing a song from the perspective of a slave. We have discussed three types of slave songs.

a. You will need to choose one of the types of songs/spirituals.

1. Religious Song

2. Work Song

3. Coded Song (song with a secret meaning)

b. Your Song must include at least two verses and one chorus.

c. You must write a short description explaining what kind of song it is, and what the meaning is, if there is one.

Self-Evaluation•When you complete your Plantation layout and your slave narrative or slave song you will need to evaluate it yourself.• On the rubric for the assignment you choose there is a frame you can use to guide your self-evaluation. • You must write your self evaluation on the back of your Plantation layout below your narrative or spiritual.