Slavery in America (1700-1770)

Rachel Cooperrider

Why Slavery?

To meet labor needs Indentured servants no longer reliable The establishment of the Royal African Company in

1672

The Capture Bartering with African kingdom Kidnapping Journey back to the coast would take up to two

months Branding slaves before travel

The Journey to America

The “middle passage” Kept below deck with no fresh air Threw sick slaves overboard More than 1 in 4 captives died along the way

New Life in America

Auctioned off in public squares Inspection of teeth, underarms and genitals Young men and women most valuable Total journey from Africa to New World plantation

took six months

Plantation Life

Preserved several African traditions Family life unpredictable Slaves outnumbered colonists in South

Life in New England

3% of population was African

Worked as field hands, on small farms, as house servants, or skilled artisans

Life in Middle Colonies

18% of population

Worked on small farms or in the cities

Racism

Used as a legal device to maintain control as population grows

Interracial marriage is forbidden Marriage and literacy outlawed Overtime free blacks lost right to employ, hold

office, bear arms, strike

Rebellion and Resistance

Limited open resistance Run away to swamps and mountains Georgia set up to prevent runaways Native Americans were given bounties for runaway

slaves

Stono Rebellion

Stono, South Carolina in 1739 Group of slaves stole firearms Plan to go to Spanish Florida Marched from house to house murdering slave

owners and families After 30 miles, the group was met by militias

In Response to Stono

Negro Act S.C. State law forbidding slaves to grow their own

food, assemble in groups, and learn to read

Resulted in more legal action for slaves

The Growing Slave Population

2,000 slaves brought over a year Between 1680 and 1700 the transportation of slaves

on an English ship rose from 5,000 to 20,000 By 1750, African Americans were 4/5ths of the

population In 1755, 80% of black population was mixed racial 95% of colonial African slaves remained slaves for

life

Slaves During the Revolutionary War

Slaves gained freedom by joining state militias Those who fought on American side were in the line

of fire Those who fought on British side were doing

manual labor

Freed Slaves

By 1770, there was around 40,000 free black slaves in the colonies

Included runaways and black immigrants from West Indies

Had certain social, economic, and legal restrictions Status was one of uncertainty

Results of Slavery

As population grew, so did restrictions More racism Caste-like system of segregation Economic expansion

Bibliography

Schultz, Kevin M. "Expansion and Control, 1700-1763." Hist. Boston, MA: Wadsworth / Cengage Learning, 2012. 59-79. Print.

Slavery In America. Photograph.Http://www.historyguy.com/civilwar/statistics_slave_population.html. The History Guy, 2011. Web. 13 Mar. 2012.

Slave Trade to Civil War. Photograph. Http://hunt-barronclasswiki.wikispaces.com/Slave+Trade+to+Civil+War. Tangient LLC, 2012. Web. 13 Mar. 2012.

Photograph. Picture Gallery. ThinkQuest, Sept. 2011. Web

The Transatlantic Slave Trade. Photograph. Abagond. Wordpress.com, 21 May 2010. Web. 13 Mar. 2012.

Photograph. Remembering Slavery in Verse. BBC News, 23 Mar. 2007. Web. 13 Mar. 2012.

Photograph. POSTS TAGGED WITH SLAVERY. NewsOne, 2012. Web. 13 Mar. 2012.

Photograph. Stono Rebellion. BlackPast.org, 2011. Web. 13 Mar. 2012.