6. Food and Living Conditions Were Harsh
Life on Southern estates meant enduring severely limited resources. Enslaved people were often given meager, nutritionally poor rations—typically cornmeal, pork, or molasses—resulting in malnutrition and chronic health issues. Housing was little better: cramped, drafty cabins offered incomplete protection from the elements, fostering disease and discomfort. These harsh conditions underscored the daily struggle for survival.
