Many of the slaves basic needs were unmet. Despit the change in status, the black communities on the sea islands had little to eat and were still badly clothed…
CHAPTER II 1. According to Zinn, what is the root of racism in America? 2. Why were Africans considered “better” slaves than Indians in Virginia? 3. How did 16th century Africa compare to 16th century Europe politically, economically, and militarily? 4. How did slavery in Africa differ from slavery in Europe and the Americas? 5. Describe the conditions that slaves on ships coming to America (“Middle Passage”). 6. In terms of mortality, what was the cost of slavery? 7. What was the relationship between slavery and the plantation system? 8. What evidence exists that America’s slaves did not accept their fate easily? 9. Why did slave owners fear poor whites?…
“The major reason for bringing all of these Africans to the Americas was the production of cash crops to make profits and satisfy European tastes.” (Kerr-Ritchie) Slaves were, overall, cheap labor and a money maker for any owner. Slaves, like Equiano, were sometimes unaware of their purpose when they were in transportation to the market, but they eventually learned they were merely a piece of property to make money off of. “They told us we were not to be eaten, but to work….”…
To many Europeans, slavery was not a new concept. Prior to African slavery, indentures and natives were used, but the use of these people was not successful or cost-effective. Natives resisted, died in large numbers to European diseases, and had knowledge of the region, which would allow them to escape much easier. Additionally, although indentures did have knowledge of farming and had some resistance to European diseases, they were prone to new diseases and were already assimilated. To solve the issues with previous iterations of slavery, Europeans eventually turned to Africans. Because these people worked in a warm environment,…
With a growing demand for tobacco and sugar and a shortage of workers, England saw slavery as the only option. Britain had been colonizing in the new world for many years before slavery became a commonplace in English-American society. In fact, in Give Me Liberty author Eric Foner writes, “...the shipping of slaves from Africa to the New World became a major international business. But only a relative handful were brought to England’s mainland colonies. By the time plantation slavery became a major feature of life in English North America, it was already well entrenched elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere”(Foner p96). It was crucial that English-America fixed the shortage of workers problem, unfortunately the solution they chose was slavery.…
Gary Nash author of Red, White, and Black purpose to their readers is describing the early colonists, but also the relationships toward Europeans, the Indians, and the Africans. Nash successfully analyzes the impact of the colliding three cultures and interprets them to give an overall theme about the relationships between those who made America what it is today. He has shown another point of view to his reader that we grew up and was raise in a white people land; learning only the White people point of view through history. His purpose of writing Red, White & Black was to prove that Native Americans and Africans were not victims, but played as a active role to American history.…
Furthermore, the fear whites had because of the large amount of blacks in the colonist due to the need for black servants in the south caused them to make laws that would dehumanize blacks in…
With this, labor and more land is needed, so in 1619, 20 African slaves were sold at auction. From 1619-1700, the African slave population begins to grow and by 1700, 14% of the Virginia population is enslaved. The slaves were emigrated from Africa to the Americas on what is called a slave ship. The slaves were packed closely together to the point where there was no moving room for anyone. (Doc D.) The ships had a terrible smell because of this. Diseases and sicknesses were easily spread because of how close they were to one another. Often times, on the way over, man Africans would die on the slave ship. They died of malnutrition, starvation, diseases, and…
Slavery was spread throughout the colony and many more slaves were bought from Africa to America. In the 17th and 18th century slaves were working on the plantation of tobacco, rice and indigo in the southern coast. The slavery was very first started in Europe. They enforced the slaves to do what their kings, Prince, Queen, Princess told them. Women did every work with their body naked. In 1619, Slaves were bought in by whoever found them and basically tortured them some were killed. Some slaves were just been beaten and made work hours. The new constitution counted each slave as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of taxation and representation in the congress. Slaves were bought in the ship from Africa and they didn’t no food and also were killed in the ship and throw them into the…
Afro Americans had a big issue as well when they first arrived in the Americas. In 1619 when the first “slaves” arrived, even though they weren’t labeled as slaves at this time, they were automatically considered inferior to the white Europeans simply because they were of a darker skin and a different culture. They thought them…
Coming from a lower class background in the slums of Brooklyn, Zinn comprehends class struggle and oppression of the poor (Zinn, A People’s 2). He empathetically describes the early years of the New World, in which indentured servants traveled to America in hopes of a better life. On the eight to twelve week passages, many were subject to starvation and disease, sometimes having to resort to cannibalism in order to survive (Zinn, A People’s 43). Once they were in service of their masters, it was common to become victims of beatings and rape (44). Though the Amendment VI of the United States Constitution later gave citizens the right to a trial by an impartial jury, servants were not permitted to serve as jurymen. In an effort to improve their miserable situation, servants made feeble attempts at rebellions, such as the uprising of the Gloucester County servants, which was revealed and never carried out. Large scale revolt was so impractical that servants had to defy their masters individually by physically attacking their masters, running away, or refusing to work (45). About 80% of all indentured servants “died during servitude, returned to England after it was over, or became ‘poor whites’” (qtd in Zinn, A People’s…
During the 1700-1800s, slave ships were vile because of what happened before, during, and after the transport. In the fist place, slavers used to capture people of different villages in Africa to use them as slaves. Then, the traders took them to forts where they made the captives wait until the slave ships arrived. The captains normally fit between 500 and 800 slaves in the ships which were going to venture in long trips of several weeks. Once they got to their destination, traders and captains sold the slaves to different traders, to other countries, or to people who had a lot of money to offer for the slaves.…
The colonists who came to the New World all have a similar quality. They all used slavery in one way or another to achieve their goals. The colonists would depend on other people or groups in order to sustain a suitable lifestyle the choose. This is why so many colonists thought that working the slaves and indentured servants and giving them very austere living conditions was morally correct. Also, the government is a Democracy so since the majority of the people are colonists, the government is pro-slavery and pro-indentured servants. However, there were three main reasons why settlers came to the New World: for Gold, for Glory, and for God. All these people have a similar justification on the treatment of African slaves, indentured servants, and Native Americans and that is that their conditions of living is very harsh and that they will strip them of their possessions.…
The United States was built on slavery; it is woven into America’s history. Right after the Revolutionary War, slavery was abolished in most of the northern states. But it was rampant in the South where most of the citizens were farmers working in agriculture. A large amount of workers was needed for the success of the crops. The South was desperate for people to work in the fields. So when ships arrived in 1619 with African Americans the problem was solved, slaves seemed like a simple solution. Even though the Declaration of Independence states, “all men are created equal,” a large group of people were ignored. While white Americans were free, African American slaves were dehumanized daily without consequences. Endless work and abuse were a reality for some slaves. Not all slave owners abused their slaves and thought slavery was morally right. But no one wanted to speak up against it because if a person did they would be despised by their community. America had been split in half. The North wanted slavery to end, but the South had become…
Have you ever thought about the explicit details that went into the creation of America? Slavery and the Making of America, written by James Oliver Horton and Lois E. Horton uses facts and stories to portray the life of slaves, and the evolution of slavery over several decades, and its effect on America today. The title of this book, Slavery and the Making of America is a great leeway into the authors’ main thesis of the book; “Slavery was, and continues to be, a critical factor in shaping the United States and all of its people. As Americans, we must understand slavery’s history if we are ever to be emancipated from its consequences,” (Horton). Throughout the six chapters in this book, the authors’ go into explicit details on what actions from both white Americans and African slaves led to the Civil War, the abolition of slavery and America as it is today.…