How Often Were Slaves Whipped?

Many historians have pondered the question, “How often were slaves whipped?” It is presumed that many white land owners preferred whipping was a form of punishment. In the 1930’s the government interviewed thousands of elderly African-American slaves to see if they could find an answer to how often slaves were whipped, but it wasn’t until the discovery of a Louisianan plantation owner’s diary that they were given a clearer idea. Bennet H. Barrow kept a record of every occurrence of whipping that he administered or ordered over a twenty-three month period. In 1840 Barrow owned 129 slaves, and during the time recorded he administered 160 whippings. Most of the slaves working in his fields were whipped at least once and those who were not were either children or pregnant woman. On average one slave was whipped every four and a half days. Although it was believed that whipping slaves would correct their bad behavior, there was no evidence in Barrow’s diary to indicate that this was indeed the case. Slaves were whipped for a variety of reasons ranging from family disputes to not picking “quality” cotton. Whippings were conducted in public and all the other slaves were often forced to watch. Barrow’s diary does not paint a clear picture of the frequency of whippings carried out at all plantation only his own. It is understood however that Barrow did not consider himself to be a cruel master and he believed that he only whipped slaves when it was necessary. Aside from whipping, most masters also encouraged good behavior from their slaves by promising small gifts and brief holidays, but whipping was their preferred form of punishment.  

If whipping slaves was not affective in changing their bad behavior or performance, why did slave owners continue to administer whippings?

Why did Barrow dismiss his white overseer and choose to manage his own plantation with the aid of a black driver? Do you think this decision could have influenced the frequency of whippings he administered?