Enslaved and free Africans often had to delay marriage and starting a family, investing years of toil to painstakingly assemble funds to purchase their own or a spouse's freedom.
The 18th century family was essentially a hierarchical institution, with an adult male, or patriarch, at its head.
States of Unfreedom
While conditions of enslavement varied and some had opportunities for limited autonomy, the arbitrary power of enslavers and involuntary bondage remained a constant.
Torn Asunder
Enslaved people faced enormous challenges to creating, nurturing, and sustaining family ties as parents, spouses, and children could be sold at a moment’s notice to new captors anytime, anywhere.
Those living in servitude in another's household--apprentices, wage laborers, indentured servants, and enslaved people most of all--occupied the lowest rungs In a society predicated on inequality of condition.
Community building was essential for Black Americans living in the early republic as most were enslaved and many lived in the homes of their enslavers.
Hot beverages such as tea were served with sugar produced on plantations in the Caribbean using the labor of enslaved people who worked under horrendous conditions.
While a variety of paths might lead to freedom, even the most determined freedom seekers encountered dangers and challenges that could prove insurmountable.
Couples in early New England generally expected to endure scrutiny from family and community members alike, even more so for enslaved women or men wishing to wed.
Enlisting in the militia during wartime offered the possibility of freedom for some enslaved men, but military service could be perilous and uncertain.