Rice
became an important crop in America during the 18th century. In the
Carolinas it became farmer's main source of income and by the 19th
century it became a significant crop in Virginia and Georgia. Rice
was labour intensive and large numbers of slaves
were purchased to do this work. They were also used for the construction
of canals and ditches to maintain adequate supplies of water.
(1)
Moses
Grandy, worked on a rice plantation in North Carolina. He wrote
about his experiences in Life of a Slave (1843)
MacPherson was an overseer where slaves were employed in cutting canals.
The labour there is very severe. The ground is often very boggy: the
negroes are up to the middle or much deeper in mud and water, cutting
away roots and baling out mud: if they can keep their heads above
water, they work on. They lodge in huts, or as they are called camps,
made of shingles or boards. They lie down in the mud which has adhered
to them, making a great fire to dry themselves, and keep off
the cold. No bedding whatever is allowed them; it is only by work
done over his task, that any of them can get a blanket. They are paid
nothing except for this overwork. Their masters come once a month
to receive the money for their labour: then perhaps some few very
good masters will give them
two dollars each, some others one dollar, some a pound of tobacco,
and some nothing at all. The food is more abundant than that of field
slaves; indeed it is the best allowance in America: it consists of
a peck of meal, and six pounds of pork per week; the pork is commonly
not good, it is damaged, and is bought as cheap as possible at auctions.
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