Slavery in Colonial America
In the beginning with the founding of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, there were not any slaves, but indentured servants. Most of them were white, but there were a few black ones. Some refer to white indentured servants as white slaves. When White servitude is acknowledged as having existed in America, it is almost always termed as temporary indentured servitude or part of the convict trade, which, after the Revolution of 1776, centered on Australia instead of America. The indentured servant served his master for a period of time of about four to seven years. They were auctioned off just as black slaves were years later. In England, British slavers sold their poor whites into slavery. Many of them were children that had been kidnapped. Then, they were exported to North America. As with the Middle Passage with African slaves, many white slaves died on the ship before reaching America.
The Spanish and Portuguese enslaved Africans then, the trend reached the Western Hemisphere. In America, African slaves began to replace indentured servants in the late 1600s. Once their period of indenturement ended, the servants were assigned land. Now, the English had developed their own opinions about other groups of people. They disliked the Irish, didnt trust the Spanish, were bitter toward the Indians, and were the most prejudiced against the Africans. The English could not enslave the American Indians since they were familiar with the territory however, blacks could not escape without being identified. Also, the strong prejudice against them also made it easier to punish and discipline them.
In the seventeenth century, not all blacks were considered slaves at first if one of their parents were free, or if they could prove that they were Christians (usually having been baptized). In the mid-1670s, the number of white slaves outnumbered black ones. However, from the late 1670s to the 1690s, there was the shift to African slaves exclusively. One reason is because there was a decreasing supply of white indentured servants. In the 1640s, there was a low birth rate in England. In addition, in the 1660s, the Great Plague and the Great Fire affected English populations. At the start of the 1700s, the black population increased. In 1708, there were 12,000 blacks and 18,000 whites. By 1756, there were 120,156 blacks and 173, 316 whites, with blacks outnumbering whites in many communities. Whites began to see this as a threat. As a result, lawmakers passed laws that gave blacks very few rights. This was the beginning of American racism.
The Middle Passage was a living nightmare for African slaves. The ships were overcrowded with about 370 slaves plus the crew and provisions. Many of the slaves either died from diseases such as smallpox or other illnesses, or they committed suicide. Since many of the slaves originated from different tribes, they did not speak the same language in order to communicate with one another. From 1783 to 1793, there were over 300,000 slaves imported from Africa.
In the beginning, most slaves that were brought to Virginia were male since they were better suited for heavy labor however, during the eighteenth century, female slaves were given the same type of labor as the male slaves. Also, women slaves could produce more potential slaves. They were also prone to sexual abuse by male slaves and their masters. As a result of racial mixing, a new mulatto population emerged. These light-skinned people of color were somewhat privileged slaveholders occasionally freed their offspring. Further, there were also people of color who unofficially passed into the racially elite white category that had some African ancestry. Some of them felt that it was easier to pass than to live their lives as Blacks. They believed that it was an opportunity to be a part of the racial group of their choosing.
Usually, field slaves lived as family units. They worked from sunrise to sunset six days a week. There was always the chance that they could be sold or transferred to another plantation, thus one family can be separated. Even if a female slave was pregnant, she was still expected to work up until she gave birth. On the other hand, urban and house slaves did not live as family units. They were mostly women any men that were available were coachmen, tradesmen, waiting men, or gardeners.
Urban and house slaves were usually treated better than field slaves. They had more freedom, nicer clothes, and ate better food. House slaves usually heard the big political news first. Also, they had the opportunity to network at the marketplace with other slaves to discuss current events and their family and friends. House slaves often looked down at field slaves. Once a slave had served in a home, the prospect of working in the field was frowned upon and resisted with every available resource.
In colonial Virginia, slaves did not like their current lifestyle and decided to take matters into their own hands. Since there were usually rumors of an upcoming slave revolt or uprising, the slave plots were discovered and foiled. Since slave could not carry out their planned plots, they were disobedient to their masters instead. This led to the passage of the Virginia Slave Code. Slaves were not allowed to leave the plantation unless they had written permission from their masters. Slaves that were found guilty of rape or murder were hanged. For major offenses, such as robbing a house or a store, slaves were to receive sixty lashes and to be placed in the pillory, where their ears were to be cut off. For lesser offenses, like associating with whites and free blacks, they were whipped, branded like cattle, or mutilated. With these consequences facing the slaves, they remained docile as little lambs.
In Maryland, slaves also showed resentment to their standard of living. Many slaves killed their masters and there were a couple of instances in which black cooks poisoned an owner. Blacks were found guilty of murder, arson, stealing, and animal cruelty. As a result, Maryland added more laws similar to those in Virginia to keep slaves in line. In the Carolinas, blacks outnumbered whites. Before the Revolutionary War, Carolina split into North and South Carolina. Many Quakers resided in North Carolina and had a different view of slavery- they abhorred it. Those that owned slaves did not mistreat them. They also encouraged masters to allow their slaves to attend church services.
By the time of Americas War of Independence, Virginia and Maryland contained over one-half of the nations slaves and nearly one-third of the total colonial population. As was previously mentioned, many slaves worked on tobacco plantations. In the eighteenth century, there was a decline in tobacco profits the new demand was for corn and grains.
Further south in the Carolinas and Georgia, they produced rice and indigo. When Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, its perfection and screw press gave a tremendous stimulus to the cultivation of short-staple cotton, which revolutionized the British and American textile industries and eventually spread westward from inland Georgia and South Carolina to Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas.
In the New England Colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, blacks comprised only 2.5 percent of the population. In the Middle Colonies of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, blacks comprised 6.5 percent of the population. There were not any plantations north of Pennsylvania. Slaves in the north lived with one or two other slaves in the owner familys house, and they worked on a small farm or industry. Also, these slaves came from the West Indies or the southern colonies as opposed to straight from Africa. Another reason that slavery was different in the North was because there was not a major staple to export, like tobacco or rice. They made money from farming, whaling and fishing, and trades. These colonies still had slaves laws, but they were less strict than in the South. Slaves were treated as people and as property they could own property or they could be sold themselves. Blacks could not be served alcohol, and they had curfews.
In conclusion, we see that slavery was an important although shameful part of history. In the Deep South, slavery was successful due to the harsh slave code. With the founding of Jamestown, the use of indentured servants, and the switch to slavery, it was a big part of Virginias history. A large number of slaves also lived in Maryland. Black slaves were property and not people. The English had problems relating to anything that was non-English, especially Africans. The colonial era marks the beginning of the building of America and also American racism. There are many events that follow.
Categories:
0 comments:
Post a Comment