Being married to one another is a beautiful thing which could create other wonderful things in a person’s life, such as having a family. During the time of the slaves, being married had more down views than up views. Marriage was not an official guarantee. Most black slaves could not legally get married and if they did it was considered a major civil rights violation. When wanting to get married many effects were to come about for slaves. If they had a house it still did not equal to a home. Married couple would get a marriage contract which was as good as nothing. If master moved, not all of the family went with him, which meant that family could and would be sold. Husband and wives mostly belonged to different families, which meant working separately and eating separately. Marriages didn’t make a husband feel like the head of the family, if anything it made the master more in charge and owner of more, such as the wife and any kids they had belong to the masters wife. Husband would have to serve their master before serving their own family. It was very hard for the couple to find their own time for each other and children had no formal family life.
Resources:
Information: http://www.tngenweb.org/campbell/hist-bogan/antebellumSlavery.html (History of Campbell County Tennessee- Antebellum Salvery)
Picture 1: http://faculty.umf.maine.edu/walter.sargent/public.www/web%20103/Broomstick%20marriage.jpg (This picture shows two African American slaves getting married)
Picture 2: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mpimages/mp091.jpg (This picture also shows to slaves getting married)
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