Slavery and Empire

1441 – 1770

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

White Skin Privilege

• Skin color determined status• Slave codes were developed• Mulattoes and free blacks were denied

citizenship and basic rights • Contempt of slave codes and white skin

privilege produced mistrust and led to racism between white colonists and African Americans