What is the difference between an overseer and a slave driver?
On large plantations, the person who directed the daily work of the slaves was the overseer, usually a white man but occasionally an enslaved black man—a “driver”—promoted to the position by his master.
What did overseers do to slaves?
Chiefly responsible for slave discipline and crop production, overseers assigned gangs to work, administered corporal punishment to those who violated plantation rules, enforced a night curfew, distributed food and clothing, treated minor medical ailments, maintained various record and account books, and executed other …
What role did the overseer or driver play on a plantation?
Overseers were agents employed by Southern slaveholders to supervise the daily affairs on a plantation.
What was the purpose of a slave driver?
an overseer of enslaved laborers and enforcer of hierarchy and discipline in the institution of chattel slavery.
What did slaves call the overseer?
stewards
34). that overseers were sometimes called stewards, that some of these were “colored,” and that her Uncle Stephen was a “kinder overseer fo’ some widow ‘omans” (Virginia Slave Narratives, 1936-1938). foremen, performed the same duties as an overseer (Genovese, 1974, pp. 366-367, 381).
What does overseer mean in history?
One who oversees or supervises
overseer (plural overseers) One who oversees or supervises. (historical) The manager of a plantation of slaves. quotations ▼ (historical) An officer responsible for the care of the poor, making out lists of voters and those who had not paid taxes, etc.
What did an overseer of the poor do?
An overseer of the poor was an official who administered poor relief such as money, food, and clothing in England and various other countries which derived their law from England such as the United States.
What’s another name for slave driver?
In this page you can discover 8 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for slave-driver, like: taskmaster, tyrant, oppressor, task master, overseer of slaves, simon legree, disciplinarian and hard master.