Slavery is not a new phenomenon in the contemporary society as it has existed for many decades, evolved and formed part of the human existence. Slavery reached its crescendo during the industrial revolution era when there was high demand for human labor in most developed nations. As a result of this fact, different forms of slavery emerged including bonded labor, forced labor, urban slavery, child labor, trafficking slaves, slavery by descent, and plantation slavery.
Plantation slavery refers to a form of slavery where the slaves were forced to work on farms, estates and plantations where crops such as cotton, rice, sugarcane, tobacco, coffee, tea and sisal were grown (Streissguth, 2001). During the industrial revolution era, there were approximately 2000 plantations, where plantation slaves were required to provide reliable human labor for their employers. Plantation slaves were subjected to harsh and deplorable working conditions by their employers as they worked for long hours without pay.
Plantation slavery differed from other forms of slavery in several aspects. Urban slaves worked in homes, helped business owners and worked as artisans and skilled laborers, but they were subjected to better working conditions than plantation slaves. Unlike plantation slaves, urban slaves were provided with better clothes, shelter, and food and had adequate time to perform their own duties and they were not mistreated compared to plantation slaves (Newman, 2013). Bonded labor is a form of slavery where individuals agree to provide their labor for exchange of money, but the deal culminate to bondage when their employers adds more work. Unlike bonded slavery where slaves worked in exchange for money, plantation slaves provided reliable human labor without pay. Unlike urban slaves and bonded slaves who were not restricted into one working area, plantation slaves were only allowed to work in farms, forests and in crop plantations.
Based on this assertion, it is clear that plantation slaves worked in crop plantations and provide reliable and free human labor. Plantation slavery differed from other forms of slavery in terms of working conditions, pay and freedom of movement and working.
References
Newman, S. P. (2013). A new world of labor: the development of plantation slavery in the British Atlantic. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Streissguth, T. (2001). Slavery. San Diego, Calif.: Greenhaven Press.
