Task System
Encyclopedia
The task system is a reference within slavery
to a division of labor established on the plantation
. It is the less brutal of the two main types of labor systems. The other form, known as the gang system
, was harsher. The difference between the task labor system and the gang labor system was characterized by the amount of work time required by the slave and also the amount of freedom given to the slave. Some plantation owners allowed their slaves to produce goods for sale in task systems. The gang systems forced the slaves to work until the owner said they were finished and allowed them almost no freedom.
oriented. The women laborers were the predominant work force for rice cultivations within the task system of the Southeastern United States
. This was a cultural influence that transferred directly from West African cultures.
The task system was an offshoot of the division of labor that was already in place in the African tribal systems before the Atlantic slave trade
brought the slaves over to the American colonies. It marked an assemblage or melting pot of skills and abilities from traditional rice cultivation. The slaves used this knowledge to bargain with the plantation owners to gain more control over their work. It gave the plantation owners a greater knowledge of this new and non-indigenous form of farming.
"Planters knew that slaves grew rice; they also know which ethnic groups specialized in its cultivation. This knowledge came from their sustained contact with slaves in shaping the Carolina frontier and growing food staples for mutual survival."
The highly developed and knowledgeable skills concerning rice planting possessed by slaves led to their successful ability to use these skills as a bargaining chip in determining the length and conditions of their bondage in the Americas.
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
to a division of labor established on the plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
. It is the less brutal of the two main types of labor systems. The other form, known as the gang system
Gang system
The gang system is a reference within slavery to a division of labor established on the plantation. It is the more brutal of two main types of labor systems. The other form, known as the Task System, was less harsh and allowed the slaves more autonomy than did the gang system...
, was harsher. The difference between the task labor system and the gang labor system was characterized by the amount of work time required by the slave and also the amount of freedom given to the slave. Some plantation owners allowed their slaves to produce goods for sale in task systems. The gang systems forced the slaves to work until the owner said they were finished and allowed them almost no freedom.
Early rice task system
Evidence suggests that the task system was genderGender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
oriented. The women laborers were the predominant work force for rice cultivations within the task system of the Southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This was a cultural influence that transferred directly from West African cultures.
The task system was an offshoot of the division of labor that was already in place in the African tribal systems before the Atlantic slave trade
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the trans-atlantic slave trade, refers to the trade in slaves that took place across the Atlantic ocean from the sixteenth through to the nineteenth centuries...
brought the slaves over to the American colonies. It marked an assemblage or melting pot of skills and abilities from traditional rice cultivation. The slaves used this knowledge to bargain with the plantation owners to gain more control over their work. It gave the plantation owners a greater knowledge of this new and non-indigenous form of farming.
"Planters knew that slaves grew rice; they also know which ethnic groups specialized in its cultivation. This knowledge came from their sustained contact with slaves in shaping the Carolina frontier and growing food staples for mutual survival."
The highly developed and knowledgeable skills concerning rice planting possessed by slaves led to their successful ability to use these skills as a bargaining chip in determining the length and conditions of their bondage in the Americas.