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American Slavery

American Slavery. Slavery in Colonial Times. This painting shows a 1643 slave auction in New Amsterdam, which later became New York City. During the colonial period, European slave ships brought millions of captive Africans to the Americas. British Colonial America

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American Slavery

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  1. American Slavery

  2. Slavery in Colonial Times This painting shows a 1643 slave auction in New Amsterdam, which later became New York City. During the colonial period, European slave ships brought millions of captive Africans to the Americas.

  3. British Colonial America Mexico and Central America West Indies Spanish South America 400,000 220,000 4,000,000 520,000 Source: Historical Atlas of the United States; Philip D. Curtin; Atlantic Slave Trade African Slave Trade 1500-1800

  4. The American Revolution and Slavery Leaders of the American Revolution prided themselves in a cause based on the pursuit of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” However, many of these same men owned slaves. 1796- Washington and his family, including a trusted slave

  5. The New Nation and Slavery 1787- The U.S. Constitution is written. The Three-Fifths Compromise settles the Founding Fathers’ key dispute over slavery. Enslaved persons are to be counted as 3/5 of a free person. This formula will help determine taxation and representation in Congress.

  6. The Slave Trade • In 1808 the U.S. Congress outlawed the international slave trade. • This did not mean an end to slavery in the United States. • In fact, the growing demand for Southern cotton ensured that slave labor would remain a vital part of the United States’ economy.

  7. 1852 Ad for a Slave Auction in South Carolina

  8. Inventory of Female Slaves- Includes name, age, price, remarks

  9. Life as a Slave Life under slavery could mean many things. Some slaves served as trusted household servants. The young girl pictured here was a nursemaid to the baby she is holding.

  10. Life as a Slave Some of the most brutal forms of slave life existed on the plantations of the deep South. Slaves worked long hours cultivating labor-intensive crops such as cotton and rice. Plantation owners, overseers, slave patrols, and local governments maintained a tight control over the slave population.

  11. Ad for runaway slave

  12. Gag and collar used for disobedient slaves

  13. A former slave showing scars resulting from numerous beatings

  14. U.S. Slaveholdings in 1860 Nonslaveholders 76.1% 1-9 slaves 17.2% 10-99 slaves 6.6% Over 100 slaves 0.1% Growth of the U.S. Black Population 1.7 million 13% free 1840 2.87 million 13% free 1860 4.44 million 11% free Statistics:Slaves and Slaveholdings Source: Critical Issues in American History; Steven Mintz & John Ettling

  15. Liberty and Justice for All? What, to the American slave is your Fourth of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him your celebration is a sham; - a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on earth more guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States at this very hour. ~Frederick Douglass (1852)

  16. Readings: Life Under Slavery • Using the descriptions in the readings, give 3 words or phrases to describe life under slavery. • Why do you think the authors felt it necessary to record their personal memories of slavery, even if they were so unpleasant? 3. Do these readings fit the description of a primary source? How?

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