Slavery and Empire
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Transcript of Slavery and Empire
The Beginnings of African Slavery
• 1441: the Portuguese opened up the African slave trade by trading European goods for slaves
• Slaves were sent to work on sugar plantations on the island of Madeira off the coast of Africa
• The expansion of sugar production in the Caribbean increased the demand for slaves as disease wiped out the Indian populations
• European countries seized islands in the Caribbean as sugar and slaves became the core of the European colonial system
West Africans
• Slaves mainly came from well-established societies and local communities of West Africa
• Most West African societies were based on sophisticated systems of farming
• Established extensive trade networks (Timbuktu)
• Slavery existed, but were treated more as family than as possessions
The African Slave Trade
• The African slave trade was the largest forced migration of people in world history, lasting over 4 centuries
• 10-12 million • Most were transported to the Caribbean and
South America; 1/20 sent to North America• Men outnumbered women 2:1
Slavers of All Nations
• All Western European nations participated in the African slave trade
• 1st dominated by the Portuguese during the 16th century
• The Dutch took control of the sugar and slave trade during the 17th century
• The English entered lucratively in the 17th century and by the 18th century New Englanders were profiting greatly from the slave trade
The Middle Passage
• Captives were kept in dungeons, separated from anyone, and branded: dehumanization
• Slaves were crammed into ships and packed into shelves 6 ft. long and 2.5 ft. high
• Little or no nourishment; no sanitation; diseased-ridden conditions: 1/6 died during the voyage
• Slaves would jump overboard, starve themselves, or sometimes organize revolts
The Development of North American Slave Societies
• By 1770 Africans and African Americans numbered almost a half-million in British North America—roughly 20% of the colonial population
• Between 1675 and 1700, the Chesapeake went from being a society with slaves to a slave society– Decline in immigration of English servants– European immigrants had better opportunities in other colonies– The Planter Elite had taken up most of the land requiring a significant
amount of labor– England began shipping slaves directly to the region to satisfy the
labor shortage (unprecedented growth from 1700-1710)– Expansion of slavery prompted Virginia to develop a comprehensive
slave code
Tobacco and Slavery
• Tobacco was the most important commodity produced in 18th century North America (25% of all exports)
• Required a sizeable labor for the crop• Unlike the West Indies and Brazil, better
treatment of slaves resulted in self-sustained population growth
Slavery in the Lower South
• South Carolina was always a slave society as it was active in the Indian slave trade
• The production of rice and indigo helped to transition SC to use African slaves
• Georgia was founded as a buffer colony against Spain and was soon accepting slavery
• By 1770, 80% of the Lower South’s coastal population was African American
Slavery in the French and Spanish Colonies
• Slavery was a basic part of the Spanish colonial labor system: varied by region
• Florida was made into a haven for runaway slaves from British colonies in an attempt to undermine the profits made by British planters
• French Louisiana was more diversified, but slavery did exist (only 1/3 of the population)
Slavery in the North
• Slavery existed in the Northern commercial farming areas, but only made up 10% of the rural population
• Port cities saw higher concentrations of African populations due to their involvement in the slave trade and their use in craftwork
• The Quakers first spoke out against slavery in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but little was done
The Development of African American Culture
• Large plantations provided the population necessary for the development of an African American culture
• Though families were often separated by sale, they created a family structure developing marriage customs, naming practices, and developing a system of kinship to try to re-humanize their world
African American Culture
• Africans sustained their culture through dance, religion, music, and the oral tradition
• But music and dance formed the foundations of African American culture
• Not baptized, Africans practiced death and burial rituals in secret
• African American languages and dialects developed in the coastal regions
The Africanization of the South
• Both English and African cultures influenced each other:– Cooking (BBQ, fried chicken, stews, use of spices)– Basket weaving, wood carving, architecture – Music and dance (banjo, fiddle, jigs…)– Language (yam, buddy, banjo…)
Violence and Resistance
• Resisted by refusing to cooperate, malingering, mistreating tools and animals, running away, or revolt
• Revolts were rare due to the risk of losing culture and community (which they had established)– New York 1712– Stono (1739)
Slavery and Empire
• Slavery was the foundation of the British economy
• Southern exports made up 95% of their total commodities, which could not be achieved without their dependence on slave labor
The Politics of Mercantilism
• Economic system where the government intervenes in the economy for the purpose of increasing national wealth– Colonies existed to benefit the mother country– A “zero-sum” game where profits for one country
meant losses for another– Competition between states was to hoard the
fixed amount of wealth that existed in the world
Wars for Empire
• The English, French, and Spanish all struggled for control over North America and the Caribbean in a series of wars that occurred both in Europe and in the New World (world wars, essentially)
• In the Americas, the wars focused either on slavery/slave trade or control of the Indian trade (furs, etc.)
British Colonial Regulations
• European nations created state trading monopolies to manage the commerce of its empires
• Navigation Acts passed between 1651 and 1696 created the legal and institutional structure of British colonial system
• Colonies were not allowed to impose tariffs on English imports; use their own money; or produce their own manufactured goods
• Yet, England practiced a policy of salutary neglect with the colonies since profits were good, many laws were not enforced
The Colonial Economy
• Between 1730 and 1770 the economies of the North and South became integrated as Northern ports offered outlets for goods produced in the South
• New England shipbuilding was stimulated by trade and northern port cities prospered:– Participation in the slave trade– Traded foodstuffs for sugar
Social Structure of Slave Colonies
• Slavery produced as highly stratified class society– Elite planters held more than half of the land and
60% of the wealth– Even small planters and farmers kept 1-4 slaves– Landless men constituted 40% of the population
and worked as tenant farmers or indentured servants