Beginnings of Slavery in the

AmericasUS HistoryMr. Cole

The Beginnings of Slavery in the

Americas• Main Idea:

o Slavery in the Americas began in order to provide cheap labor for the colonies.

• Why It Matters Now:o The effects of slavery, including racism, helped shape attitudes and social

conditions in the United States.

Key Terms and Names• Slavery

• African diaspora• Middle passage• Slave codes• racism

The Origins of American Slavery

Slavery: the practice of holding a person in bondage for labor.

By 1600, slavery was firmly established in the Americas, but it was not a new practice… Its roots are traced back to the worlds ancient

civilizations.

People were often enslaved when they were captured in battle, or sold to pay off debts.

The Origins of American Slavery

When the Spanish and Portuguese founded their colonies in the Americas, they brought the plantation system with them.

At first tried to enslave Natives, but they quickly died from disease and overwork

• The Spanish and Portuguese looked to Africa for enslaved labor.

Four Major Reasons:

1.Immune to most European diseases.2.No friends or family in the Americas to help

them resist or escape enslavement.3.Provided a permanent source for cheap labor.4.Many Africans had worked on farms in their

native lands.

The Slave TradeThe slave trade increased with the growing demand for slaves to

work in the colonies.

• European slave traders carried out the shipment of Africans to the Americas.

• Rulers of West African kingdoms gathered captives from inland.

• The local kings then traded slaves for European goods like textiles, ironware, wine, and guns.

The Middle PassageThe voyage from Africa to the Americas was called the Middle Passage.Given this name because it was the middle leg of the triangular trade,

the movement of trade ships between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

The Middle Passage

The forced removal of people from Africa has become known as the

African Diaspora.

Before the slave trade ended in the late 1800’s, approximately 12 million Africans had been shipped to the western hemisphere. Of these, perhaps 2 million died during the voyage of the Middle Passage.

Slavery in the Americas

Once enslaved Africans arrived in the colonies, they were sold at auction.

Many slaves ran away and rebelled throughout Peru and New Spain.

To prevent rebellion, the Spanish instituted Slave Codes, Laws to regulate the treatment of slaves.• Laws tried to soften the harsh conditions of slavery, but most

were designed to punish slaves and keep them in bondage.

Slavery in the Americas

Over time, Europeans began to associate slavery with black Africans.

Many Europeans began to see dark skin color as a sign of inferiority.

Racism is the belief that some people are inferior because of their race.

=Lasting effect of slavery

Beginnings of Slavery in the Americas

The Slave trade lasted for nearly 400 years, from the early 1500s to the mid-1800s.

This contact with Africa also contributed to the Columbian Exchange:

Africans brought to the Americas:• knowledge about farming and

animals.• Strong heritage of dance,

music, and storytelling.

American crops went to Africa:• Sweet potatoes• Peanuts• chilies