History essay 1
irsatha_9
Slaverypart1update92018.pptxSlavery
Part I
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Things to Remember about Slavery
It existed prior to European settlement in North America
Slave trade from Africa to America
Slave labor, culture, and legal status developed and changed from 1619 to 1863.
Slavery had a direct impact to the economies of the Dutch, French, Spanish, and British in both the colonies and mainland Europe
Slavery experienced changed based on time, geography, labor performed, and gender
Slavery is the central cause of the Civil War
Our current understandings of race and racism are one of the many legacies of slavery
Slavery and African Americans had an important impact on American culture
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Slavery around the world
Before the 15th century, most slaves were from Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Slavery was a common side effect of war
War-captured slaves were often integrated into their captor’s society and given freedom
Slavery was not always hereditary
Native Americans enslaved each other and were enslaved by Europeans
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Slavery in Africa
Yes, slavery existed in Africa
Yes, Africans sold other Africans into slavery
Less brutal
Slaves lived with their captors
Weren’t automatically enslaved
Sometimes could be freed and re-join their families.
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The Atlantic Slave Trade
Middle Passage: The middle leg between Africa and the West Indies/ Colonies
Middle Passage: 4-6 week transatlantic voyage
1 in 6 captives died in route, many by suicide, and almost 1 in 10 of the slave ships experienced a revolt.
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Number of Captives Embarked and Disembarked
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Start of Slavery in the Colonies
1619: Africans arrive in Jamestown for the purpose of slavery
1700 Africans = 11% of the population
1730= self sustaining
1750 80% of the slaves in the Chesapeake has been born there
1770, Africans are 20% of the population
Slavery in New England was much less, about 2%. And because of the smaller population, they practiced “family slavery” where the slave would often share a roof with their owner and work along side them.
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Legal Status
Difference between “Slave” and “Indentured Servant”
IS had legal rights
Slavery very quickly became racial and hereditary = inescapable
Slave codes: Laws designed to control the imbalanced ratio of master to slave
African Slaves cannot have arms/weapons;
All children born to Slave mothers (fathers) are enslaved;
Baptism/Christianity does not free one from slavery;
a master cannot be punished for the murder of a slave;
Slaves cannot leave their master’s land without permission;
Slaves who hit a white person = capital punishment
For racial based slavery, the idea that people of a different color was just a fact of life. God had control over your destiny, so it wasn’t a personal evil against the owner, but rather just their lot in life.
South Carolina’s slave codes were the most strict, and living in S.Carolina was the worst for slaves. They were literally worked to death because it was cheaper to import a new slave than to limit their production and take better care of them.
Because of the harsh treatment of slavery and the imbalance of the master to race, there was always a fear of rebellion. So very quickly they came up with rules with harsh punishment to prevent that.
Virginia 1639: African Slaves cannot have arms, Virginia 1662:All children born to Slave mothers are enslaved
Maryland 1664: If a free-born slave woman marries and produces a child with a slave = slave
Virginia 1667: Baptism does not free one from slavery
Virginia 1705: a master cannot be punished for the murder of a slave
South Carolina 1712: Slaves cannot leave their master’s land without permission
Louisiana 1724: Slaves who hit a white person = capital punishment
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Economic Impact
A better investment than indentured servants
Slavery was used to produce labor-intensive products
Rice
tobacco,
Indigo
Mining
Sugar
Slavery found in each colony
South: Plantation style
New England: Family Slavery
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Rebellions and their Reactions
Slave revolt in New York City 1712
Stono Rebellion 1739
Stono, South Carolina
Negro Act of 1740: more oversight of slave activities (like can’t worship in secret) and reduced penalties for killing a slave
Conspiracy of 1741
Overall, Rebellions were rare because of the harsh punishments
Smaller resistances more likely
NYC 1712 slaves revolted killing whites as they attempted to fight the fires the slaves had started. The local militia captured 27 slaves. 6 committed suicide and the rest were executed. NYC passed a black code.
Jemmy, killed owner, seized weapons headed south towards Spanish Florida where they would be free, gathered more recruits a long the way. The slave army grew, killing 25 whites and walking 15 miles. The militia caught up with them and most of the rebels were killed. Just to make sure they made their point, the white militia members killed 60 more slaves who had not rebelled, and decapitated them, lining their heads along the main road.
NYC 1741 – a female indentured servant said there was a plot for the slaves and IS to burn the city down. The “plotters” probably a man who the IS had a vendetta against, his family, and two slaves were all hung for their “crimes” eventually the fear and killing spread to kill 17 other slaves, 4 whites, and 13 blacks while many more were deported.
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