Slaves experienced brutal mistreatment from their masters. Slaves were typically abused for disobedience of masters, or for the master assertion of dominance. Commonly, slaves were whipped. Since the government allowed it, slaves were beaten without end, and there were no reprimands for killing them. It wasn't uncommon for slaves to be beaten for resistance to sexual assault. They were forced to work approximately fifteen hour days in the summer, and fourteen in the winter. Hours were lowered to these times in the mid 1700s, after numerous slave revolts. Due to the restriction of the international slave trade in 1808, slaves were forced to breed by their masters. Slaves were chosen for physical attributes to be passed on and create a stronger slave for sale or keep. The value of the slave rose after this restriction, increasing the appeal of breeding slaves for the purpose of sale. Despite the restriction of oversea trade, the population of slaves in the United States increased from approximately 680,000 in 1790 to over one million in 1810. In only twenty years, the slave population nearly doubled.
Slaves were generally not permitted to become literate. The consensus among slave owners was that, should slaves learn to read or write, communication between them would be easier, and lead to more revolts, and better organization of the massive amounts of slaves that lived in the South. This also led to the overall oppression and stunting of the growth of slave improvements. There were exceptions to this, depending on the work the slave was needed to perform. During the sale of slaves, there were few traditions. Some slaves would be painted over, any scars or blotches covered, to increase their appearance as more appealing. Slave families may have been kept together, although it was common for a young adult slave to be separated from their family, if they were old and fit enough to perform hard labor. Slaves were auctioned, and went to the highest bidder, but could also be purchased as any other piece of property. The material conditions of slavery were not unique to the institution. Any laborer or worker of the time period was subject to poor working conditions, as well as mistreatment and even brutality. Industrial conditions were comparable to those of the slaves. It was not the lot of only the slaves, but also the lot of any low-wage or low class worker.