Slave family in front of living quarters

Young enslaved people in colonial America were forced to work for a slaveholder. The boys worked in the fields with the grown men. They spent long hours tending crops such as tobacco, sugar, and cotton. Most enslaved girls worked as servants in the slaveholder's home. They cleaned or helped their mothers in the kitchen. Other girls learned a skill such as sewing. Enslaved children had a hard life. If they made a mistake, the slaveholder might beat them. They were not allowed to go to school. At the end of a long day's work, they went home to a small cabin. After the evening meal, the children could have some fun. They often joined family and friends to sing or tell stories.