Very true along with the FACT that many slaves were practically considered “family” and were in fact treated so well that many continued to work for their former owners for pay after being freed.
I liken how slaves were treated to how people treat pets today. Yes, some pet owners are MONSTERS, but many pet owners love their pets and treat them almost like they are part of the family.
Imagine if 100’s of years from now it becomes despicable to own pets and that ALL pet owners of this time period are portrayed like some monster who horribly abuses their pets.
In the late 1800s and even the 19s it was common practice at least in south central PA to “hire out” early teen children to farmers for wages in the summertime. My paternal grandmother Ida Burke was hired out to a farm in Maryland where they’d owned slaves, but after emancipation they stayed and worked for wages. Ida lived in the (former) slave quarters with the folks, and the black ladies taught her the Bible, and to cook and bake. And believe me, she could cook and bake!
I think there were differences between treatment of "house" slaves and "field" slaves.
You do NOT mistreat the people who prepare your food and are in your house while you are asleep.
This was what happened in my own family. A cousin on my paternal side's Mother was from a wealthy family. Her brother held slaves. He mistreated one and his sister (cousin's Mother) took the woman to live in her household. The former slave woman became the Nanny and is pictured in old family photos standing in the center of the group holding a baby. That baby she was holding grew up to nurse her through dementia to the ripe old age of 95. When she died, she was buried in the family cemetery.
I understand what you are saying. They were assets, and expensive assets at that.
But, no matter how well they were treated, one person “owning” another is abhorrent and should not happen in any civilized world.
Its true that relationships could be and sometimes were quite close....for example childhood playmates etc.
Of course the opposite was also true.
Unfortunately, you can’t even MENTION the first part ie that many got along quite well without any hate and in fact with considerable warmth between them, without having one of the usual race hustlers come along and claim that you’re somehow “justifying” slavery by bringing it up.
Before the idea of freedom for people to chart their own course, ALL were slaves. The King or Queen of England allowed some to own land, the rest were sharecroppers. Being a slave in Biblical times, was akin to being an employee.