Which of the following describes a common experience for enslaved families?

a) children usually were set free even if their parents remained enslaved.

b) slave owners tried their best to keep married couples together.

c) slave owners tried their best to keep parents and children together.

d) family members often were sold away and separated from one another.

D) Family members often were sold away and separated from one another.

Slavery was a legally-protected institution in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries. It began in the early colonial years and it affected people of African ancestry primarily. It lasted until 1865, when it was prohibited by the Thirteenth Amendment.

Enslaved families suffered enormous abuse and exploitation. Their lives were determined by their owners, which meant that they had little to no autonomy. Children born out of slave women would also be enslaved, which meant that slaveholders often owned whole families. As they were considered private property, slaves could be sold at will, which resulted in the separation of families.