Solomon Northup’s 1855 slave narrative described the fear that motivated him to accelerate his work. As Northup wrote, “A slave never approaches the gin-house with his basket of cotton but with fear. If it falls short in weight—if he has not performed the full task appointed him, he knows that he must suffer.” But the cost of success was high. As Northup reflected, if “he has exceeded it by ten or twenty pounds, in all probability his master will measure the next day’s task accordingly. So, whether he has too little or too much, his approach to the gin-house is always with fear and
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