the-history-of-american-slavery

SlaveryintheUnitedStateswasaformofforcedlaborwhichexistedasalegalinstitutiononAmericansoilbeforethefoundingoftheUnitedStates,andremainedalegalfeatureofAmericansocietyuntilthepassageoftheThirteenthAmendmenttotheUnitedStatesConstitutionin1865.IthaditsoriginswiththefirstEnglishcolonizationofNorthAmericainVirginiain1607.MostslaveswereAfricanandwereheldbyEuropeans.Slaveswerespreadtotheareaswheretherewasgoodqualitysoilforlargeplantationsofhighvaluecashcrops,suchascotton,sugar,andcoffee.ThemajorityofslaveholderswereinthesouthernUnitedStates.AnanimationshowingwhenUnitedStatesterritoriesandstatesforbadeorallowedslavery,1789-18611.ColonialAmerica2.1776to1850s3.CivilWarandEmancipation4.ReconstructiontopresentFourmainperiodsofAmericanSlaveryHistory1.ColonialAmerica1.ColonialAmericaThefirstrecordofAfricanslaveryinColonialAmericawasmadein1619.ABritishpirateshipundertheDutchflag,theWhiteLion,hadcaptured20slavesinabattlewithaPortugueseship.ThecolonywasinthemiddleofaperiodlaterknownasTheGreatMigration(1618–1623),duringwhichitspopulationgrewfrom450to4,000residents,extremelyhighmortalityratesfromdisease,malnutrition,andwarwithNativeAmericanskeptthepopulationofable-bodiedlaborerslow.WiththeDutchshipbeinginsevereneedofrepairsandsuppliesandthecolonistsbeinginneedofable-bodiedworkers,thehumancargowastradedforfoodandservices.1.ColonialAmericaInadditiontoAfricanslaves,Europeans,werebroughtasindenturedservants.ThewhitecitizensofVirginia,whohadarrivedfromBritain,decidedtotreatthefirstAfricansinVirginiaasindenturedservants.AndimprovingeconomicconditionsinEnglandmeantthatfewerlaborerswantedtomigratetothecoloniesasindenturedservants,sotheplantersneededtofindnewsourcesoflabor.Thetransformationfromindenturedservitudetoracialslaveryhappenedgradually.TherewerenolawsregardingslaveryearlyinVirginia'shistory.However,by1640,theVirginiacourtshadsentencedatleastoneblackservanttoslavery.1.ColonialAmericaIn1654,JohnCasor,ablackman,becamethefirstlegallyrecognizedslaveinthepresentUnitedStates.In1662Virginiapassedalaw,statingthatanychildrenofanenslavedmotherwouldfollowherstatusandautomaticallybeslaves,nomatterifthefatherwasafreebornEnglishman.TheVirginiaSlavecodesof1705furtherdefinedasslavesthosepeopleimportedfromnationsthatwerenotChristian.1.ColonialAmericaIn1735,thetrusteesofthecolonyofGeorgiapassedalawtoprohibitslavery,whichwasthenlegalinthe12othercolonies.ItwasmeanttoeliminatetheriskofslaverebellionsandmakeGeorgiabetterabletodefendagainstattacksfromtheSpanishtothesouth.Buttherewaspopularsupportforslaveryandskillfullobbyingbythecolonists,andin1750slaveryagainbecamelegalinGeorgia.1.ColonialAmericaDuringmostoftheBritishcolonialperiod,slaveryexistedinallthecolonies.PeopleenslavedintheNorthtypicallyworkedashouseservants,artisans,laborersandcraftsmen,withthegreaternumberincities.Earlyon,slavesintheSouthworkedprimarilyinagriculture,onfarmsandplantationsgrowingindigo,rice,andtobacco;cottonbecameamajorcropafterthe1790s.2.1776to18502.1776to1850SecondMiddlePassageThegrowingdemandforcottonledmanyplantationownerswestinsearchofmoresuitableland.Itwasforthisreasonthatslaverydidnotspreadtothenorth,insteadspreadingwest.HistorianscalledthisforcedmigrationtheSecondMiddlePassage.Althoughcompletestatisticsarelacking,itisestimatedthat1,000,000slavesmovedwestfromtheOldSouthbetween1790and1860.2.1776to1850Slavetraderswereresponsibleforthemajorityoftheslavesthatmovedwest.Onlyaminoritymovedwiththeirfamiliesandexistingowner.Slavetradershadlittleinterestinpurchasingortransportingintactslavefamilies,althoughintheinterestofcreatingaself-reproducinglaborforce,equalnumbersofmenandwomenweretransported.Sometradersmovedtheirchattelsbysea,butmostslaveswereforcedtowalk.ThedeathratefortheslavesontheirwaytotheirnewdestinationacrosstheAmericanSouthwasmuchlessthanthatofthecaptivesacrosstheAtlanticOcean.Mortalitywasstillhigherthanthenormaldeathrate.2.1776to1850Treatmentofslaves2.1776to1850Treatmentofslaveswasbothharshandinhumane.Whetherlaboringorwalkingaboutinpublic,peoplelivingasslaveswereregulatedbylegallyauthorizedviolence.Slavesthatworkedandlivedonplantationswerecommonlypunished.Slaveswerepunishedwithavarietyofobjectsandinstruments.Someoftheseincluded:whips,placedinchainsandshackles,variouscontraptionssuchasmetalcollars,beinghanged,andevenforcedtowalkatreadmill.Thewhipwasthemostcommonformofpunishmentperformedonaslave.Metalcollarswerealsocommonlyusedsothattheslavewouldberemindedofhiswrongdoings.2.1776to1850Bylaw,slaveownerscouldbefinedfornotpunishingrecapturedrunawayslaves.Someslavewomenwereusedforbreedingmoreslaves.Plantationownerswouldhaveintimaterelationswithafemaleslaveinordertoproducemoreslaves.Someslaveswereevenforcedtohavesexwithotherstoincreasepopulationandincreasetheamountofslaveproductonthemarket.2.1776to1850AbolitionistmovementThroughoutthefirsthalfofthe19thcentury,amovementtoendslaverygrewinstrengththroughouttheUnitedStates.Intheearlypartofthe19thcentury,avarietyoforganizationswereestablishedadvocatingthemovementofblackpeoplefromtheUnitedStatestolocationswheretheywouldenjoygr