Plantation: |
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\Plan*ta"tion\,
n. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996 The reality of plantations It is important when reading the word “plantation” to consider the lives of the individuals enslaved by plantation owners. It was on the backs of these people — the great majority of them enslaved Africans — that most plantation owners built their wealth. Indeed, plantation owners’ wealth was often counted by the number of enslaved Africans they owned. Enslaved people lived under the most gruesome of conditions – in most cases as horrific as those of concentration camp prisoners in World War II, but lasting for many more years – generations, in fact.
On average, plantations in Louisiana had from 10 to 25 enslaved Africans. Most were forced to work in the fields undertaking the grueling labor of cutting sugar cane. Some were skilled craftspeople who were mostly used for their skills, and some worked as household servants. The Houmas House plantation had the largest number of enslaved individuals in Louisiana — almost one thousand. Interestingly, not once are “slaves” mentioned on the web site promoting Houmas House. This is not surprising in that rarely do plantation tours even mention slavery or the enslavement period. For this reason, the River Road African American Museum was established. At this museum artifacts documenting the lives of the Africans enslaved on plantations from Baton Rouge to New Orleans are collected and preserved.
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For
more information:
Louisiana
Plantation Life “Third
Person, First Person: Slave Voices From The Special Collections Library”
Broadside Collection, Special Collections Library, Duke University |