There were different types of slaves, such as field workers and house slaves or servants. Most worked as field hands on cotton plantations. Men, women and children did back-breaking work in the cotton fields, clearing land, planting, tending and harvesting [picking] the cotton. Younger children would have to pulll weeds. They worked in the fields from sunrise to sunset and at harvest time they might work an 18-hour day.
It was very hot, hard, physical work, but women worked the same hours as men, and by the age of 12, a child's work was almost the same as an adult's. Slave drivers and overseers [people who supervised the Overseersslaves] were notoriously cruel and they would drive the slaves all day holding a whip. At harvest time, slaves were expected to pick a certain amount of cotton each day. They would be punished if they didn't work hard enough.
After each day in the field, the slaves lined up to have their cotton weighed and get a meal. For some, the next task was to clean the cotton using the gin. Field workers lived in huts or cabins, often with dirt floors, no heating, rough blankets and little or no comforts.