Slavery and Empire

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

Slavery and Empire