Final answer:
They valued their time at Congo Square due to the autonomy it provided, allowing them to socialize, trade, and take steps towards freedom, offering a rare respite from their otherwise brutal living conditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Enslaved people valued their time at Congo Square because it represented a rare opportunity for them to experience autonomy and personal freedom within a profoundly oppressive system. This area was one of the few places where they could exercise a degree of self-determination—through socializing, tending to their own crops, and selling surplus products to accumulate money, potentially to purchase their own and their family members' freedom. The task system in place allowed them a set amount of work each day, after which their time was their own, leading to powerful ideas of ownership over one's time and labor, and providing an incentive that helped maintain their human dignity and aspects of culture amidst brutal conditions.