Both males and females in the planter class were affected
by slavery; often with negative results for slaves. The planter himself was largely
responsible for managing the day to day affairs of the plantation, including supervision
of field hands; but quite often had sexual relations--not always consensual--with female
slaves. On many plantations, the master of the plantation was the father of one or more
children by a female slave. Younger white men also often forced themselves on female
slaves as the slave had no right to resist. In a strange but cynical way, this became
something of a rite of passage to manhood.
The plantation
mistress was responsible for running the household, but also was responsible for the
medical care of the slaves. If a pregnant slave went into labor, she was responsible for
seeing that the child was safely delivered. She was not to question her husband about
business or his relationship with the slaves, as she was to remain subordinate to him.
Most plantation mistresses knew if their husbands were engaging in sex with female
slaves, but were forced to remain silent about it. Quite often, since she could not vent
her frustration on her husband, she did so against the slave, often a house servant.
There are many instances of cruel beatings, burnings, etc. inflicted by the mistress on
the household servant, normally because of some slight misfeasance; but the real reason
was frustration over her husbands conduct. An excellent resource describing the
experiences of slaves, household and otherwise is a compilation of memoirs by Ira
Berlin, et. al. entitled Remembering
Slavery.
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