Slavery+in+the+American+Colonies

Slavery in the American Colonies

Africans were first introduced to America in 1619, but the slave system was not fully established until 1680. Under this system a slave was property which could be purchased, sold, loaned, or punished. Slaves were not recognized as people in the eyes of the government, making them possess no sort of legal rights. Slaves were taken from many African countries. Some countries included Senegal, Liberia, Ghana, and Morocco. These slaves were brought to many countries (both in the eastern and western hemispheres), but the majority of the slaves went to Brazil, India, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Slavery was sanctioned by law. The law stated that slaves were forced into lifelong servitude to prevent them from taking advantage of legal precedents established in England which grant freedom under certain conditions. This made slaves virtually helpless in trying to gain their freedom.

Slaves performed numerous jobs under these new laws. They ranged from clearing forests to nursing. The main two types of jobs were field hands (majority of the slaves), and house slaves. There were disadvantages and advantages to both jobs. As a house slave you were fed better food, lived in more sanitary living conditions, and worked in a bearable environment. As a drawback you were always under constant surveillance, you were exploited in some cases (if you were a woman), and you were under a constant array of racist mockery and comments. On the other hand was the field slaves. Field slaves were gifted with a sense of community, a sense of family, and low surveillance. The setbacks included terrible living conditions, dreadful food, and long and unbearable working days that led to injury and disease. Slavery and slave labor was tough for every slave.

By 1750 there were approximately 100,000 slaves in the American Colonies. Slaves were brought over for many reasons. First, it was a source of revenue for whites. They profited from the trading of slaves. Second, slavery was justified on the basis of race. Whites concluded that blacks were barbaric and needed to be enslaved and that whites were civilized and superior. Lastly, extreme white racists wanted to display their supposed superiority. Southern whites were given the chance to punish, maim, and even kill blacks (who they thought were inferior).

Slaves worked in a variety of places, but 3/4 of the slave population worked on plantations. Over half of these slaves lived in communities of 50 slaves or more. While on these plantations slaves attempted to marry, but the constant threat of being sold loomed over their head stopping them from participating in a long-term relationships. By 1775, slaves consisted of over 40% of the population in most southern colonies; the majority of people living in South Carolina were African-American!

In 1776 the Founding Fathers wrote, arguably the most important document in American history, the Declaration of Independence. In this document reads the words,"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"(courtesy of U.S.history.org). It's amazing how the declaration talks about equality and unalienable rights, yet African-American's were given no rights. If only the great men that founded our country could have listened to themselves, we would not be here writing paragraphs on slavery.

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Sources: Toonari, . "Slavery in the Colonial Era." Africana Online. Toonari, Web. 5 Jan 2010. .

Becker, Eddie. "Chronology Of The History Of Slavery: 1619-1789." Innercity.org. 1999. Innercity, Web. 5 Jan 2010. .

Editors of Time-Life Books,. //Perseverance//. 1st. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 237. Print.

Unanimous,. "The Declaration of Indepence." //U.S.history.org//. 1776. Founding Fathers, Web. 11 Jan 2010. .