In the United States, slavery was permitted for hundreds of years allowing for the slaves and indentured servants to be treated unjustly. The country that was so proud of their freedom was in fact not free for all; those of color or ethnicity were discriminated against. Men, women and even children were treated as property instead of human beings solely because of their heritage. Although slavery in the United States no longer exists there are still effects of this horrific time in today’s society. The Kitchen House is an accurate portrayal of indentured servitude and the brutality inhumane slave conditions pre-civil war. Kathleen Grissom clearly portrays how African Americans were not respected as equals and were forced in undignified work settings fearing for their lives on a daily basis. The slaves would wake up and go to bed every night in fear for their life. The protagonist of the book, Lavinia, is white and raised by black slaves. Throughout her childhood, she has a difficult time understanding the difference between white and black people. Unexposed to the hatred and ignorance that was prevalent of this time, Lavinia believes she is the same as the slaves who raised her. When Lavinia asks Papa George if she could be his daughter, regardless of her skin color, he replies saying, “Abinia you look at those birds. Some of them be brown, some of them be white and black. Do you think when they little chicks, those mamas and papas care about that?” (Grissom 26). Papa George, a black slave treated as property, loved Lavinia regardless of her skin color. Even though he is treated cruel and unfairly by other white people, he respects Lavinia and treats her as an equal; something most white people do not do for him. Marshall represents the common outlook that slave owners had. He is extremely cruel to them and thinks of them as subhuman. Lavinia does not have that view. When they were younger, Marshall said to Lavinia, “Don’t start talking like that. You’re not one of them. They’re not like us. They’re stupid” (103). Marshall tells Lavinia to not speak like those that raised her because white people are superior to them. Both of them were young, and white; however, only Marshall held such hatred in his heart. Miss Martha describes the slaves to Lavinia by stating, “They are not my friends. They are my servants. They look out for themselves” (107). All these statements and prejudice was very confusing to Lavinia because she thought of the slaves as simply her friends. She did not view them as property or see them for just their skin color; she saw them as human beings. She saw no difference between herself and the slaves. Later on Marshall says to Lavinia, “You are never to buy gifts for the servants without my approval. They are your servants! For God’s sake, Lavinia. Try to elevate yourself to your new station!” (253). She does not understand that she is expected to act superior to her servants. It appears that Lavinia will never understand the difference between her and the servants. Marshall tries to force her to call the servants by their names, not “mama” or “papa.” Lavinia, however, does not see them as anything other than her parents, skin color aside. Lavinia also does not understand segregation. She was forced to sit with white people while at church for the first time. She did not understand why her black friends were standing in the back. During a conversation with Mama Mae, Lavinia said, “Mostly it seems like I’m part of this family, but in church I have to go up front and sit with the white people. I want to sit with the twins, and they can’t come up with me, and I can’t go back by them” (149). The events that occur at the Church are a perfect portrayal of the segregation of this time period. Events like that were very common pre-civil war and throughout the 1900s. Whites and blacks were separated in many aspects of life, including at church, school, in bathrooms, on buses and so much more. Water fountains