A Re-Examination of the Slave Diet

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Date

2004

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | History | Life Sciences | Nutrition | United States History

Advisor

David Bennetts, History; Amy Olson, Nutrition

Abstract

The genre of literature discussing the lives of slaves throughout United States history is vast and covers all aspects of slavery from the viewpoints of different researchers. The slaves' quality of life is a complex topic since each plantation had its own unique way of running, and slaves' experiences on the plantation differed in their access to food, housing and clothing, and treatment and punishments. The aspect of the slaves' life that is the focus of this study is the slaves' diet on the plantation. This study challenges the recent argument by Robert Fogel and Stanley Engerman that slave diets were calorically and nutritionally adequate.

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