Slaves did not live in independent “households”; they lived under the auspices of masters who controlled the terms of their most intimate relationships.

Absolutey, and even when the slave masters were relatively benign in the way they treated their slaves, they still had control over everything.

There is a place here, owned in the 1700’s by a freed black woman. Not entirely a sad story there, however what is amazingly sad is that in order to have her children with her, she had to buy them from the people who owned them. Can you imagine? Having to buy your own children in order to have them with you? Horrific.