Final answer:
Slaves on plantations were generally not allowed to leave without permission and were subject to strict controls. Some exceptions included slaves leaving plantations to follow British troops during the Revolutionary War. The Emancipation Proclamation ultimately freed all slaves and brought significant changes to plantation life.
Step-by-step explanation:
On plantations, slaves were heavily restricted in their movements and were generally not allowed to leave without their master's permission. Laws at the time reflected the concerns of plantation owners over the activities of their slaves during their own time. For example, a 1714 law prohibited slaves from planting their own corn, peas, or rice. While there were instances during the tumult of the Revolutionary War where enslaved African Americans left plantations to follow the British Army in hope of freedom, these were exceptions rather than the rule of daily life.
Slaveholders sometimes allowed the existence of marriages and family among slaves to foster harmony and to encourage the birth of children, which increased the number of slaves and thus the wealth of the owner. However, slave families were always at risk of being torn apart by sale. Upon the end of the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves, leading to momentous changes on the plantations, with many slaves facing the reality of freedom and the responsibilities that came with it for the first time.