Some slave owners used to whip their slaves, but others would whip their slaves and then put them into a tobacco smokehouse. When slave owners used this form of punishment, it was considered smoking their slaves. Another punishment was being pushed down a steep hill. Slaves were always being branded, forcibly submerged under water, put up for sale, kicked, tied up, and/or tarred and feathered. Since they were trying to get away, slave owners had them chased by dogs. When and if they were caught they were hit by paddles, whipped, and/or had a part of their body cut off: this was considered a death sentence. The only way slaves could avoid severe punishment was for them to do what they were told to do, when they were told to do it.

Whipping was mainly used to control the slave’s behaviors. The number of lashes that a slave received reflected the seriousness of the offense. On some plantations there were 39 lashes. A specific person, Francis Fredric, ran away and had freedom for nine weeks; however, when he was caught he received 107 lashes from his owner. For Moses Roper it was different; he received 200 lashes and would have gotten more if the master’s wife had not pleaded for her husband to stop. It did not matter if the slave was a woman or a man, they were still whipped.