List several ways in which slaves were abused and mistreated:

The treatment of slaves in the United States varied by time and place, but was generally brutal, especially on plantations. Whipping was routine, but usually not in front of white outsiders, or even the plantation owner's family.

A slave could not be a witness against a white; slaves were sometimes required to whip other slaves, even family members.

There were also businesses to which a slave owner could turn over the whipping.