What was the primary form of labor performed by enslaved people on Southern plantations in the United States?

The primary form of labor performed by enslaved people on Southern plantations in the United States was agricultural labor, particularly in the fields. This labor involved the cultivation of cash crops such as cotton, tobacco, and sugar, which were essential to the economy of the South and were labor-intensive. The vast majority of enslaved individuals were utilized for their physical labor in these agricultural settings rather than in skilled trades or domestic settings.

Agricultural labor was not only a prominent aspect of life for enslaved people but was also indicative of the economic structure of the antebellum South, which relied heavily on the exploitation of enslaved labor to maximize productivity on plantations. This system of labor was deeply tied to the institution of slavery, which defined the social and economic hierarchy of the time. Enslaved individuals typically worked long hours in harsh conditions, reinforcing their role as the backbone of the agricultural economy in the Southern states.