2. The plantation slaves developed their own social strata
On the large plantations, the slaves’ diverse tasks led them to develop a societal structure of their own. At the top were those who worked as servants in the main house. There, the butler, or major-domo, held sway over the rest, at least officially. Often, the woman assigned to serve as a nanny, nurse, and disciplinarian of the younger children often reigned supreme. Such women gave rise to the stereotype of the “mammy”, often presented in song, literature, and later film. The house servants, waiters and waitresses, maids, cooks, and others depending on the size of the house and family, were below the butler and nanny, but still higher on the social ladder than some slaves who worked outside the house. Many of the house servants resided either in quarters within the main house, usually in a cellar, or nearby, rather than in the main slave quarters.
On the Virginia plantations, the stables claimed a prominent position. Virginians prided themselves on their horses and carriages. Maintaining both were tasks which required skills and expertise above those of other positions. The stables included blacksmiths and farriers, hot-walkers, wranglers, coachmen and footmen, and other positions filled by slaves. The riding stables and those for field horses were separate on the larger plantations, and those slaves working in the former occupied a position high on the social ladder. For one thing, they often worked directly under the eye of the owner. They groomed his horses, maintained his carriages and tack, and saddled the animals when they were desired. Many of the slaves working in the stables slept there, rather than in the slave quarters, a privilege earned through the pleasure of the owner if their services merited it.