5. Daily work was from dawn to dusk
Except for the house servants, who were required to be available according to their owner’s whim, a typical work day began at first light. By sunrise, the slaves were at their assigned tasks. The majority of the enslaved workers on the plantations were the field hands. They worked in their assigned plots under the supervision of a gang leader, himself a slave. They reported to the overseer, who was usually a white man under contract to the plantation owner. Multiple farm plantations, such as Monticello, employed several overseers, one for each farm, under a chief overseer. They received instructions from the owners regarding the treatment of the people they oversaw. Jefferson, Madison, Washington, and many other plantation owners were frequently away from their farms on long absences. Though they left written instructions regarding the treatment of their slaves, they often found them ignored.
The overseers had much to say of the living conditions of the enslaved people; how long they had for meals, breaks from work, whether a person was too ill to work, and so on. Overall, their performance was a disgrace. The latter is reflected by Virginia legislature recognizing the need to enact laws which regulated the treatment of enslaved peoples. During the antebellum period, laws establishing the amount of rations provided to slaves, the issuance of clothing, shoes, and other necessities were passed. On Virginia’s plantations, nearly all slaves were allowed to grow their own gardens and raise chickens, which they were allowed to sell in nearby markets. Since the workday took up the daylight hours year around, they were forced to tend their crops on weekends and during the evening hours. The overseers were responsible for preventing or reporting any thefts from these “private” stocks.