Question
Slaves who worked the cotton plantations of the antebellum South usually lived in small wooden shacks and wore simple cotton clothing, but they often ate more calories per day than poor working people in the North. Which statement best explains this?
A.
Slaveholders provided housing and clothing, but slaves grew their own food.
B.
Slaveholders wanted to keep costs low, but they grew plenty of food on their plantations.
C.
Slaveholders provided housing and clothing, but the states provided the food.
D.
Slaveholders wanted to keep costs low, but they also needed to keep their slaves healthy
A.
Slaveholders provided housing and clothing, but slaves grew their own food.
B.
Slaveholders wanted to keep costs low, but they grew plenty of food on their plantations.
C.
Slaveholders provided housing and clothing, but the states provided the food.
D.
Slaveholders wanted to keep costs low, but they also needed to keep their slaves healthy
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The statement that best explains why slaves on cotton plantations in the antebellum South often ate more calories per day than poor working people in the North is:
**D. Slaveholders wanted to keep costs low, but they also needed to keep their slaves healthy.**
This option recognizes that slaveholders were financially motivated to ensure that slaves were healthy enough to work efficiently on the plantations, which required providing enough sustenance to meet their energy needs, even if other aspects of their living conditions were poor.
**D. Slaveholders wanted to keep costs low, but they also needed to keep their slaves healthy.**
This option recognizes that slaveholders were financially motivated to ensure that slaves were healthy enough to work efficiently on the plantations, which required providing enough sustenance to meet their energy needs, even if other aspects of their living conditions were poor.