Only the strong healthy slave women were allowed to have children, and
often were not allowed to mate with their own husbands, but were bred
like live stock to some male negro who was kept for that purpose because
of his strong phisique, which the master wished to reproduce, in order
to get a good price for his progeny, just like horses, cattle, dogs and
other animals are managed today in order to improve the stock. Often the
father of a comely black woman's child, would be the master himself, who
would heartlessly sell his own offspring to some other master, without
regard for his welfare.

Many of the aristocratic women of the master class, to keep from the
burdensome task of caring for their own children, and to assure
themselves a life of leisure would delegate to one of the negro slave
women the care of their own children.

Many of the upper class white children were cared for by these faithful
black "Mammies" fed by the milk from their breasts. Countless stories
are told of the love and devotion of the black "Mammy" for the white
child who was brought to their 'grown up' years by her care.

A marriage between negroes, before freedom, had no legal standing; a
negro couple, wishing to marry, had to get a permit from each master and
were united in marriage by a ceremony with a preacher of their own race
officiating. After the war, when they were made citizens with civil
rights, many former slaves who had been married in this way, hastened to
legalize their union by obtaining licenses and having a legal ceremony
performed.

While the four years of Civil War, between the North and South resulted
in the freedom of the slaves, the negro is yet restricted in many ways