There was no hope of his returning to
Africa, and there was no realistic expectation that the situation
would be significantly altered. The hopelessness of his plight
created a deep sense of apathy. However, even this acceptance of
his master's values may have reflected African influences. It was
common for a defeated tribe in West Africa to adopt the gods of
its victors within the framework of its own religion. This
attitude would have facilitated the African's adjustment to
slavery in an alien culture.
The majority of slaves worked in the fields on large plantations.
The majority of them were herded into large work gangs,
supervised by overseers, and carefully directed in the
accomplishment of whatever task was necessary for that day.
Others were regularly assigned to a specific task without
constant supervision and were held responsible for its
completion. In this way it was possible for them to develop some
sense of initiative. House slave were usually better off than
field hands, but, because they lived in such proximity to their
masters, they were much quicker to adopt the master's values and
tended to be more obsequious.
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