The.law clearly stated that he
could neither own, inherit, or will property nor engage in buying
and selling except at the pleasure of his master. In contrast,
the slave in South America could own property, could engage in
buying and selling, and was guaranteed Sundays, holidays, and
other times which to work for his own advancement. In short, the
law implied that while the master could own a man's labor, he
could not own the man as a person
It is not easy to make a final comparison between these two slave
systems. South American masters often evaded the law and would be
exceedingly brutal, and North American masters were often much
more lenient than the law required. Conditions moreover, were
usually more severe in South America, and this fact may have
worsened the actual material situation of South American slave.
Nevertheless, in North America the slave was consistently treated
as a "thing." In South America there was some attempt to treat
him as a man. This fact made a profound difference in the way in
which the two systems affected the slave as an individual, and
in the way in which they impinged upon the development of his
personality.
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