Of all the different ways slaves were punished, this was the one that was most highlighted when it was taught in school. Frederick Douglass describes the whippings in detail, describing them as “drawing blood for half an hour at a time” (Douglass 5). The punishments were so harsh because without them the slave owners had nothing with which to keep the workers in line. They had already taken their children, they had nowhere to live, so what else did they have to lose. The whippings were also used as an example for other slaves to stay in line and not cause trouble. Another, more disguised, form of punishment for slaves was long hours of work. At first glance it may not seem like a punishment, but day after day spending long hours and working under direct heat can lead to unwanted consequences and injuries such as cuts and calluses on the hands, as described in the textbook. The long working hours also prevented slaves from socializing. Frederick's mother is once again a good example, she had to come back so early for work that she never had time to talk to her son because she would be gone long before he woke up. She also left early so as not to receive real punishment in the form of whippings. Once again, work in the fields left slaves tired and reluctant to speak out against their tormentors