JasminStefanussenHistory1700

SlaveryinAmerica

Intheearly17thcentury,EuropeansettlersinNorthAmericaturned
toAfricanslavesasacheaperlaborsourcethanIndenturedServants(who
weremostlypoorerEuropeans).SlaveryinAmericastartedin1619,when
aDutchshipbrought20AfricansashoreattheBritishcolonyof
Jamestown,Virginia.TheywerebroughttoJamestowntoaidinthe
productionandfarmingoftobacco.AfterVirginiawasfirstintroducedto
slavery,itspreadthroughouttheAmericancolonies.Itisestimatedthat6to
7millionslaveswereimportedtotheNewWorldduringthe18thcentury
alone,deprivingtheAfricancontinentofsomeofitshealthiestandablest
menandwomen.
Inthe17thand18thcenturies,blackslavesworkedmainlyonthe
tobacco,riceandindigoplantationsofthesoutherncoast.Afterthe
AmericanRevolution,manycolonists(particularlyintheNorth,where
slaverywasnotasimportanttotheeconomy)begantolinktheoppression
ofblackslavestotheirownoppressionbytheBritish,andcalledforan
abolitionofslavery.Afterthewarsend,however,thenewU.S.Constitution
tacitlyacknowledgedtheinstitution,countingeachslaveasthreefifthsofa
personforthepurposesoftaxationandrepresentationinCongressand

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guaranteeingtherighttorepossessanypersonheldtoserviceorlabor
(referringtoslaves).
Inthelate18thcentury,theSouthfacedaneconomiccrisis.Theland
thatwasbeingusedtogrowtobaccowasnearlyexhausted.Aroundthe
sametime,themechanizationofthetextileindustryinEnglandledtoa
hugedemandforAmericancotton,asoutherncropwhoseproductionwas
unfortunatelylimitedbythedifficultyofremovingtheseedsfromrawcotton
fibersbyhand.In1793,ayoungAmericanschoolteachernamedEli
Whitneyinventedthecottongin,asimplemechanizeddevicethat
efficientlyremovedtheseeds.Hisdevicewaswidelycopied,andwithina
fewyearstheSouthtransitionedfromthemassiveproductionoftobaccoto
thatofcotton,aswitchthatreinforcedtheregionsdependenceonslave
labor.
SlaveryitselfwasneverwidespreadintheNorth,althoughmanyof
theregionsbusinessmengrewrichontheslavetradeandinvestmentsin
southernplantations.Between1774and1804,allofthenorthernstates
abolishedslavery,butitremainedlegalintheSouth.AlthoughU.S.
CongressoutlawedtheAfricanslavetradein1808,thedomestictrade
(internalslavetrade)wasstrong,andtheslavepopulationintheU.S.
nearlytripledoverthefollowing50years.By1860ithadreachednearly4

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million,withmorethanhalflivinginthecottonproducingstatesofthe
South.
SlavesintheantebellumSouth(SouthCarolina)constitutedabout
onethirdofthesouthernpopulation.Mostslaveslivedonlargefarmsor
smallplantationsmanymastersownedlessthan50slaves.Slaveowners
soughttomaketheirslavescompletelydependentonthem,andasystem
ofrestrictivecodesmadelifeforslavesevenmoredifficult.Theywere
prohibitedfromlearningtoreadandwrite,andtheirbehaviorand
movementwasrestricted.Manyslaveownerstooksexuallibertieswith
slavewomen,andrewardedobedientslavebehaviorwithfavors,while
rebelliousslaveswerebrutallypunished.Astricthierarchyamongslaves
(fromprivilegedhouseslavesandskilledartisansdowntolowlyfield
hands)helpedkeepthemdividedandlesslikelytoorganizeagainsttheir
masters.Slavemarriageshadnolegalbasis,butslavesdidmarryand
raiselargefamiliesmostslaveownersencouragedthispractice,butdid
nothesitatetodivideslavefamiliesbysaleorremoval.
Slaverevoltsdidoccurwithinthesystem,butfewweresuccessful.
OnefamousslaverevoltwasledbyNatTurnerinVirginia.Turnersgroup,
whichconsistedofaround75people,murderedsome60whitesintwo
daysbeforearmedresistancefromlocalwhitesandthearrivalofstate

JasminStefanussenHistory1700

militiaforcesoverwhelmedthem.SupportersofslaverypointedtoTurners
rebellionasevidencethatblackswereinherentlyinferiorbarbarians
requiringaninstitutionsuchasslaverytodisciplinethem,andfearsof
similarinsurrectionsledmanysouthernstatestofurtherstrengthentheir
slavecodes,inordertolimittheeducation,movementandassemblyof
slaves.IntheNorth,theincreasedrepressionofsouthernblacksonly
fannedtheflamesofthegrowingabolitionmovement.
Fromthe1830stothe1860s,amovementtoabolishslaveryin
AmericagainedstrengthinthenorthernUnitedStates,ledbyfreeblacks
suchasFrederickDouglasandwhitesupporterssuchasWilliamLloyd
Garrison,founderoftheradicalnewspaperTheLiberator,andHarriet
BeecherStowe,whopublishedthebestsellingantislaverynovelUncle
TomsCabin.Whilemanyabolitionistsbasedtheiractivismonthebelief
thatslaveholdingwasasin,othersweremoreinclinedtothenonreligious
freelaborargument,whichheldthatslaveholdingwasregressive,
inefficientandmadelittleeconomicsense.
Freeblacksandantislaverynorthernershadbegunhelpingfugitive
slavesescapefromsouthernplantationstotheNorthviaaloosenetworkof
safehouses.Thispractice,knownastheUndergroundRailroad,gained
realmomentuminthe1830sandalthoughestimatesvarywidely,itmay

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havehelpedanywherefrom40,000to100,000slavesreachfreedom.The
successoftheUndergroundRailroadhelpedspreadabolitionistfeelingsin
theNorth.
Americasincrediblegrowth,anditsexpansionwestwardinthefirst
halfofthe19thcentury,providedalargerstageforthegrowingconflict
overslaveryinAmericaanditsfuturelimitationorexpansion.In1820,a
debateoverthefederalgovernmentsrighttorestrictslaveryover
Missourisapplicationtobeastateendedinacompromise:Missouriwas
admittedtotheUnionasaslavestate,Maineasafreestateandall
westernterritoriesnorthofMissourissouthernborderweretobefree.
Althoughthatcompromisewasdesignedtomaintainanevenbalance
betweenslaveandfreestates,itwasabletohelpcalmtheforcesof
sectionalismonlytemporarily.
In1854,theKansasNebraskaActopenedallnewterritoriesto
slaverybyassertingtheruleofpopularsovereigntyoverCongressional
edict,leadingproandantislaveryforcestobattleitout(withmuch
bloodshed)inthenewstateofKansas.OutrageintheNorthoverthe
KansasNebraskaActspelledthedownfalloftheoldWhigPartyandthe
birthofanew,allnorthernRepublicanParty.TheabolitionistJohnBrowns
raidatHarpersFerry,Virginia,in1859rosetensionsbetweenthenorth

JasminStefanussenHistory1700

andsouthevenmoreExecutedforhiscrimes,Brownwashailedasa
martyredherobynorthernabolitionistsandavilemurdererintheSouth.

TheSouthreachedthebreakingpointthefollowingyear,when

AbrahamLincolnwaselectedaspresident.Withinthreemonths,seven
southernstateshadsecededtoformtheConfederateStatesofAmerica
fourmorewouldfollowaftertheCivilWarbegan.ThoughLincolnsanti
slaveryviewswerewellestablished,thecentralUnionwaraimatfirstwas
nottoabolishslavery,buttopreservetheUnitedStatesasanation.
Abolitionbecameawaraimonlylater,duetomilitarynecessity,growing
antislaverysentimentintheNorthandtheselfemancipationofmany
AfricanAmericanswhofledenslavement,asUniontroopssweptthrough
theSouth.FivedaysafterthebloodyUnionvictoryatAntietamin
September1862,LincolnissuedapreliminaryEmancipationProclamation,
andonJanuary1,1863,hemadeitofficialthatslaveswithinanyState,or
designatedpartofaStateinrebellion,shallbethen,thenceforward,and
foreverfree.
Byfreeingaround3millionblackslavesintherebelstates,the
emancipationproclamationdeprivedtheConfederacyofthebulkofits
laborforcesandputinternationalpublicopinionstronglyontheUnionside.
Some186,000blacksoldierswouldjointheUnionArmybythetimethe

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warendedin1865,and38,000losttheirlives.Thetotalnumberofdeadat
warsendwas620,000,makingittheoneoftheworstconflictsinAmerican
history.
The13thAmendment,officiallyabolishedslavery,butfreedblacks
statusinthepostwarSouthremainedprecarious,andsignificant
challengesawaitedduringtheReconstructionperiod(186577).Former
slavesreceivedtherightsofcitizenshipandtheequalprotectionofthe
Constitutioninthe14thAmendment(1868)andtherighttovoteinthe15th
(1870),buttheprovisionsofConstitutionwereoftenignoredorviolated,
anditwasdifficultforformerslavestogainafootholdinthepostwar
economythankstorestrictiveblackcodesandregressivecontractual
arrangementssuchassharecropping.
Despiteseeinganunprecedenteddegreeofblackparticipationin
Americanpoliticallife,ReconstructionwasultimatelyfrustratingforAfrican
Americans,andtherebirthofwhitesupremacy,includingtheriseofracist
organizationssuchastheKuKluxKlan,hadtriumphedintheSouthby
1877.Almostacenturylater,resistancetothelingeringracismand
discriminationinAmericathatbeganduringtheslaveryerawouldleadto
theCivilRightsMovementofthe1960s,whichwouldachievethegreatest
politicalandsocialgainsforblackssinceReconstruction.

JasminStefanussenHistory1700

Sources:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/timeline/
www.history.com
www.wikipedia.com
GivemeLiberty!AnAmericanHistory