[Jolla]

While I agree with your statement my guess is, and it is only a guess, is that as slaves they had much better lives (eating, housing, clothing) than if they were not slaves. Was it wrong, absolutely, was it worse than they would have had, I doubt it. My mother picked cotton in the 30’s and she tells of her father going to the bank to borrow money to plant, the banker said “don't you need some money to cloth your (9) children?” Granddad said, nope, they may be naked but they are going to be the fattest little naked kids you ever saw.

[cripplecreek]

Yeah pretty much all labor prior to WWII was hard labor. My great grandmother plowed fields with horses and cut wheat with a scythe. She also spent weeks at a time taking care of younger sisters (and the farm) when her parents were away at Ann Arbor with the baby who had polio.