Lesson plan
Task system
The task system is a system of labor under slavery characteristic in the Americas. It is usually regarded as less brutal than other forms of enslaved persons' labor. Under this system, each enslaved person is assigned a specific task to complete for the day. After that task is finished, the enslaved person is then free to do as he or she wishes with the remaining time. The other slavery system of labor, known as the gang system, was harsher. The gang system forced the enslaved people to work until the planter said they were finished and allowed them almost no freedom. Whether planters organized their enslaved people on the task or gang system had much to do with the type of crops they harvested. Tobacco, rice and sugar cultivation was organized into gangs since those crops required considerable processing and supervision. Coffee, cotton, and pimento were comparatively hardier plants where extensive supervision was unnecessary, leading planters to favor the task system on their plantations.
Article summary
The task system is a system of labor under slavery characteristic in the Americas. It is usually regarded as less brutal than other forms of enslaved persons' labor. Under this system, each enslaved person is assigned a specific task to complete for the day. After that task is finished, the enslaved person is then free to do as he or she wishes with the remaining time. The other slavery system of labor, known as the gang system, was harsher. The gang system forced the enslaved people to work until the planter said they were finished and allowed them almost no freedom. Whether planters organized their enslaved people on the task or gang system had much to do with the type of crops they harvested. Tobacco, rice and sugar cultivation was organized into gangs since those crops required considerable processing and supervision. Coffee, cotton, and pimento were comparatively hardier plants where extensive supervision was unnecessary, leading planters to favor the task system on their plantations.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.