My Life as a Slave

My Life as a Slave
I am a slave in South Carolina. My parents tried to take me to Canada, where I would be safe. The hope of going to Canada was crushed when my family and I were captured. The authorities were in charge of capturing fugitive slaves. I was then sold to a ruthless slave owner. The slave owner’s name was Zachary Roberts. He was extremely brutal. Zachary would whip us 6 times if we sung spirituals, songs that we sung while we worked. When he wasn’t around we would sing. Every day is a tiring day.
We felt like we had run 9 miles because of the exhaustion of the day. My job was simple, but tiring. I had to clean fields and grow crops with another person. I was also the only person who chopped the wood. Zachary wouldn’t let us use the cotton gin. Our hands were hurt and cut. It was always hot. One time Zachary made me wear heavy clothing on a scorching day for punishment. We were always famished, or starving for food. We were lucky if we got one cup of water for the group.
One time we pretended to die so Zachary would feed us. He found out it was my plan and wanted me lynched. One of Zachary’s family members found out it was me and told. The family member heard some of us talking about the plan afterward. Fortunately, he realized I was the best worker. He let me live, but gave me fifty lashes from his whip. I was lucky to be alive, even as a slave.