A wide variety of occupations were forced on slave laborers in America. In the North, many slaves worked as house servants, in small factories or artisans' shops, or on small farms. In the South, the majority of slaves lived on farming estates. Most were agricultural laborers, giving their daylight hours to the cultivation of crops grown and harvested for sale to the North or abroad. Others worked as personal servants within Southern households. This system gave rise to a unique class division among slaves living in North America. House slaves were considered, both by masters and by other slaves, as quite different in ability and personality from those who worked outside.

No matter how they lived, all slaves were marked by their accent, skin color, and culture as completely alien to the white society that surrounded them. They lived apart and in constant...