Slave families

A) were rare because there were too few female slaves.
B) were more common in the West Indies, where living conditions favored their formation and survival.
C) were headed by women more frequently than were white families.
D) usually were able to stay together because most slaveowners were paternalistic.
E) avoided naming children for family members because children so often were sold, and it was better not to build strong kinship ties.

Slave Families

Units of enslaved people, often forcibly separated by slave trade or owners, who formed familial bonds within the constraints of slavery in historical contexts.

West Indies

A region of the North Atlantic Ocean in the Caribbean, encompassing a series of islands including the Greater and Lesser Antilles, known for its diverse cultures and histories.

Paternalistic

A system or policy that governs people in a manner that is authoritarian but claims to be benevolent and in the best interest of the people being controlled.