Ugly History Question

Mark S · Post by **Mark S** » 2003-01-02 05:59pm

What happened to slaves once they got too old to work?

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-01-02 06:00pm

They never got too old. They simply got whipped to death or worked to death.

InnerBrat · Post by **InnerBrat** » 2003-01-02 06:01pm

Thats' what i was going to say. You must have hit submit just before I hit reply.

Captain Jack Frank · Post by **Captain Jack Frank** » 2003-01-02 06:04pm

Very few slaves lived to be too old to work in the fields. If they did, they usually got stuck doing other chores that no one else wanted to do, so they were really never too old to work, the kind of work they did would just change after they got too old to work in the fields.

Mark S · Post by **Mark S** » 2003-01-02 06:09pm

kojikun wrote:They never got too old. They simply got whipped to death or worked to death.

But from a purely heartless stand point that doesn't make sense in even a business perspective. You wouldn't mistreat your own property like that and expect to make a profit. You don't beat your horse, why would you a slave. Unless they're trying to excape.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-01-02 06:13pm

kojikun wrote:They never got too old. They simply got whipped to death or worked to death.

That wasn't very common, but the poor diet and heavy work load did lead to relatively short lives. You almost never had 60+ year old salves that couldn't work. Though in the free world people that old where not real common either.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 2003-01-02 06:27pm

Slaves were expensive, they were investments, so you treated them well. Only if they were as cheap as shit, would you treat them badly.

You wouldn't want half you lifes savings whipped to death now, would you?

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2003-01-02 06:32pm

Simple when they could no longer work in the fields they became cooks or servants in the House, Ever watched the old "histrocitly accurate" Docementrys? When you can't earn your keep out in the field, you'll be dusting the draps in the Estate

Mark S · Post by **Mark S** » 2003-01-02 06:35pm

Mr Bean wrote:Simple when they could no longer work in the fields they became cooks or servants in the House, Ever watched the old "histrocitly accurate" Docementrys? When you can't earn your keep out in the field, you'll be dusting the draps in the Estate

Isn't that what the pretty looking slaves are for? Or is that just tv and movies.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 2003-01-02 06:36pm

Mark S wrote:
Mr Bean wrote:Simple when they could no longer work in the fields they became cooks or servants in the House, Ever watched the old "histrocitly accurate" Docementrys? When you can't earn your keep out in the field, you'll be dusting the draps in the Estate
Isn't that what the pretty looking slaves are for? Or is that just tv and movies.

TV and movies, though those ugly fuckers woulda been kept doing the jobs that kept them out of sight.

ArmorPierce · Post by **ArmorPierce** » 2003-01-02 06:52pm

If they really became to old to work and from that I mean really can not work they would just be given simpler jobs to do that doesn't require you to be young/strong.

StarshipTitanic · Post by **StarshipTitanic** » 2003-01-02 07:05pm

In the South they'd sit them down and have them run the cotton gin.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2003-01-02 07:06pm

Depended on the slaveholder, really. If he was a nice guy, he'd probably have the slave be a nanny for the kids or have the slave be his personal assistant. A few lucky slaves pretty much became members of their owners' families and didn't want to leave after emancipation. This wasn't typical, though.