<P> Plantation complexes in the Southern United States refers to the built environment ( or complex ) that was common on agricultural plantations in the American South from the 17th into the 20th century . The complex included everything from the main residence down to the pens for livestock . A plantation originally denoted a settlement in which settlers were `` planted '' to establish a colonial base . Southern plantations were generally self - sufficient settlements that relied on the forced labor of slaves , similar to the way that a medieval manorial estate relied upon the forced labor of serfs . </P>
<P> Plantation complexes in the Southern United States refers to the built environment ( or complex ) that was common on agricultural plantations in the American South from the 17th into the 20th century . The complex included everything from the main residence down to the pens for livestock . A plantation originally denoted a settlement in which settlers were `` planted '' to establish a colonial base . Southern plantations were generally self - sufficient settlements that relied on the forced labor of slaves , similar to the way that a medieval manorial estate relied upon the forced labor of serfs . </P>
who did much of the work in the fields and on the farms in jamestown
who did much of the work in the fields and on the farms in jamestown
forced labor of slaves
forced labor of slaves