How would slaves be controlled in a plantation?

Question

How would slaves be controlled in a plantation?

Answer 1

Threats against other family members, withdrawal of food, physical punishment and the realization that they had nowhere to go -- they were surrounded by other slave plantations.

Answer 2

Definitely the brutality mentioned in other answers is correct but if you're also asking what kept them from escaping the biggest reason was there was nowhere to go unless they were able to make it into a free state.  Unfortunately most slaves lacked the ability to read or write much less navigate their way across the slave states to make it to freedom, also according to the law of the time a runaway slave was never free and could be returned to their master at any time and of course the brutality was much worse for a runaway slave than for one who just acted "uppity".  

Answer 3

Agree with Johnny, slave patrols and lack of education ensured that slaves knew they basically had no choice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave_patro...

Answer 4

Through fear by brutal violence or the threat of it, common was whippings, torture, mutilation, imprisonment, and being sold away from the plantation (which would break families apart). Women were raped and most slaves were kept very weak through inadequate nutrition and living conditions. All of this made it very easy to intimidate and control the slaves.

Answer 5

More often than not, slaves were controlled through a couple of means.

The first, and probably most well known was a whipping. Public whippings by the master (or most usually the field director, this could sometimes even be a slave) would keep the rest of the slaves in line.

Secondly, they could use starvation. Now, this was only effective on a small scale, as it would be akin to not putting motor oil in your car. It's not going to work too well for too long.

Thirdly, and probably the least mentioned (although the most widely practiced)  was that they could be kind to them. Feed them, clothe them, and take care of them. I wouldn't be so brash or stupid as to insinuate that slaves had great lives, but basic living conditions kept them pacified, and pacification was huge for a lot of the large, large plantation owners.  

Answer 6

Agree with dan.  Yes, brutality and the threat of it were used, but that was only one tactic.

Archaeology shows that coexistence was as significant as confrontation.  The slaves used plates, utensils and lots of other castoffs from the big house.

There was also the practice of 'divide and rule'.  House slaves lived better than field slaves.  Brown slaves lived better than black slaves.