slaves in the south

[MaC]

How were slaves in the south really treated back in the 17th, 18th and first half of the 19th centuries in America.  I hear different things from different people.  What was day to day life like?  Did they really whip them?  What did they eat? What were the living quarters like for them?  What was the slave life expectancy?

Anyone who has answers to these questions, it'd be appreciated.

[MaC]

yeah, I thought that slaves getting whipped was something that Hollywood movies like Roots portrayed, but never really happened in real life.  I think the worst part was probably the boat ride over.  It was probably very cramped and disease spread easily.  There's no doubt slavery was a bad idea.  However some slaves were treated worse than others.