Cabin from Point of Pines Plantation in Charleston County, South Carolina

Answers might include the simplicity of the structure, the minimal space of the structure, the exposure to the elements, the deterioration of the structure over time, etc.

This cabin demonstrates that enslaved persons lived in simple conditions that lacked many basic comforts of life, that even the most basic necessities of life were barely provided. It demonstrates the absurdity of traditionalist and apologist arguments that enslavement offered comfortable and happy living conditions for enslaved persons.

This cabin demonstrates that enslavers sought to provide enslaved persons with a minimum of comfort in their lives—only the basic necessities of life required to keep them alive so that enslavers could reap the largest profits. Even in those basic necessities, such as shelter, this cabin demonstrates that enslavers provided enslaved persons with the bare minimum required.

Physical artifacts and structures serve as powerful reminders of the realities of the past, often beyond the capabilities of written sources. Reading descriptions of the quarters of enslaved persons requires a reader to imagine. A physical artifact such as this cabin—even if it underwent some structural changes after emancipation and maintenance since then—remains a powerful source for our understanding of the system of slavery in the United States.