Children of the plantation

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print.

"Children of the plantation" is a

. These children were often considered to be the property of the slave owner and were often subjected to the same treatment as other slaves on the plantation. Many of these children were born into slavery and had no legal rights, as they were not recognized as the legitimate children of their fathers. The men who fathered these children often used their power and authority to force themselves upon the black females (girls and/or women) (often 13 to 16 years old or when they commenced menstruation) who were under their control.

Plantation owners raping female slaves was a common occurrence. These children were born into slavery, through a legal doctrine known as

, for instance, sold two of his children to slave traders, where they were sold again.

slave owners, describes this complex legacy. Toni Morrison wrote that this sexual usage of slaves was known as droit du seigneur,^[1]

the "right of the lord", a term originating in the feudalism of medieval Europe.

See also

• Jefferson–Hemings controversy regarding the sexual relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his slave, Sally Hemings, resulting in six children.
• octoroon
  who was the common-law wife of the ninth vice president of the United States, Richard Mentor Johnson.
• Enslaved women's resistance in the United States and Caribbean
• Female slavery in the United States
• Slavery in the colonial history of the United States
• Plaçage, interracial common law marriages in French and Spanish America, including New Orleans
• Slave breeding in the United States

References

1. ISBN 978-0-674-97645-0
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Further reading

• Williams, Caroline Randall (June 26, 2020). "You Want a Confederate Monument? My Body Is a Confederate Monument". The New York Times.