Page 6 - HP1A 009 History of Slavery in America

to be picked by hand. So slaves had

to pick these cotton seeds by hand

in the blistering southern heat. This

led many of the slaves to pass out

due to exhaustion from the heat.

This act however was always met

with punishment. The slaves would

be whipped and harassed if they

showed signs of weakness. It was a

cruel and painful process of picking

cotton under such hard conditions.

However, in 1793 a young school

te ache r n ame d El i W hi tn ey