In all cases, overseers checked cabins twice monthly for stolen goods and weapons, and slaves had to have a pass to visit off the plantation. Newark Map Tourist Attractions The brutal culture allowed Sunday for rest, but otherwise slaves worked six ten- or twelve-hour days. During harvest, the shifts could be much longer. Commonly the rations were meager. Work and hunger were the norm. Slave Culture Slave culture retained some elements of African culture in the indifference and absence of owner imposition of white cultural values, including Christianity. Even when encouraged, Christianizing seemed to many owners to be a breaking down of the white-black barrier.
Segregated slaves developed an African-English patois and established African customs in music, dance, funerals, and marriages that incorporated the various African practices of the many cultures thrown together. They also considered rebellion. In a society where slaves outnumbered whites four to one, slave risings occurred often enough to keep the planters alert. Between 1640 and 1713 seven slave revolts produced death for white and black alike. Several other would-be revolts were aborted before they could cause damage. Slave rebellions occurred in Demerara in 1823 and Jamaica in 1831.
