24 Instruments Historically Used By Slaveholders To Control And oppress Enslaved People, Along With Their Functions:

1. Whip – Used to inflict physical pain and establish control through violent punishment.

2. Shackles/Chains – Restrained movement, often around the wrists, ankles, or neck, preventing escape or rebellion.

3. Iron Collar – A metal collar with prongs or bells that restricted movement and identified runaway slaves.

4. Branding Iron – Used to burn a mark on the skin to signify ownership and dehumanize individuals.

5. Spiked Collar – Fitted with spikes to prevent slaves from lying down comfortably, used as punishment and torture.

6. Thumbscrews – A device that crushed fingers or thumbs, used to inflict severe pain as punishment or coercion.

7. Muzzle – A headpiece with a mouth cover, restricting speech and preventing slaves from eating or drinking without permission.

8. Leg Irons – Heavy chains around the legs, preventing slaves from walking or running quickly.

9. Stocks – Wooden frames where hands, feet, or heads were locked in place, restricting movement as punishment.

10. Ball and Chain – A heavy ball attached to an ankle shackle, making movement difficult and discouraging escape.

11. Cat o’ Nine Tails – A whip with multiple tails designed to cause deep lacerations, used to inflict severe punishment.

12. Iron Mask – A metal mask placed over the face, often with prongs near the mouth to restrict eating or talking.

13. Pillory – A wooden framework where the slave’s head and hands were locked, publicly humiliating and immobilizing them.

14. Gag – An object placed in the mouth to prevent talking or screaming, used to silence or control slaves.

15. Straitjacket – Used to restrain arms, preventing movement or resistance.

16. Bridle Bit – An iron piece placed in the mouth like a horse’s bridle, restricting speech and causing severe discomfort.

17. Foot Block – A heavy wooden or metal block attached to one foot, restricting movement and causing discomfort.

18. Iron Bar Cage – A small, confined space that immobilized the body, often used as an extreme form of punishment.

19. Fetters – Chains binding the feet together, restricting movement and causing discomfort during forced marches.

20. Spiked Wooden Cradle – A punishment device that forced slaves to remain still, as movement would cause injury from the spikes.

21. Thumbscrews and Presses (for more precise torture).

22. Scourges and Paddles (for inflicting painful but non-lethal punishment).

23. Punishment Chairs or Benches (designed to hold slaves in uncomfortable positions for extended periods).

24. Specialized Restraints or Prison Cells (with confinement or isolation as a psychological tool).

These instruments were designed to exert control through physical harm, fear, and psychological trauma, intended to break the will of enslaved individuals and prevent rebellion.