Sage Griffee
Ms Harrison
ElA
10/16/16

What was the reason for the harsh punishment of slaves for minor offenses

Whenever the slaves would do the slightest thing wrong they would get punished.

It dis not matter if the slave was at fault or not. The slave owners did this to scare the other slaves into obeying them. They might also do this because they are just a cruel person who finds enjoyment in that. To think of accidentally doing the slightest thing wrong and being whipped for it is hard to think about. However, after they would punish one slave the rest would most likely behave.