Growth of Slavery and the Slave Trade
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Slavery
Article by Lily McGill
Southern colonies became major tobacco-growing areas. Colonists realized that tobacco and rice were very profitable cash-crops and that they could produce those crops on large plantations. However, the colonists couldn't do the work all by themselves. As a resolution, wealthy colonists bought many enslaved Africans to do all the work.
The backcountry, in contrast to the Tidewater Plantations, was democratic. Settlers treated each other with much more respect. They believed that all of their fellow colonists were equal to them. Men worked on small tobacco, bean and corn fields. Women cooked and did other housework. A very small amount of slaves worked in the Backcountry. The English colonies included free people, servants and enslaved Africans. Even enslaved persons had some benefits in the early 1600's. During these times, rules about their
allowed behavior were not clearly stated. Some Africans became servants, some bought their freedom, and some stayed enslaved. In certain areas, slaves worked independently. By the early 1700's southern plantations had come to rely completely on slave labor.
The Middle Passage
The Middle Passage refers to the passage that slave-trading ships traveled across the Atlantic Ocean. The Africans suffered from awful living conditions. They were crammed together on selves and chained together at the hands and feet. The enslaved Africans were only allowed to go to the top deck to eat and exercise once or twice a day. Many slaves resisted, few escaped, some fought, others refused to eat or committed suicide by jumping overboard. Roughly 10% of enslaved Africans to board the ship, died during the voyage. The slave trade went on like this for nearly 400 years, killing as many as 2 to 3 million Africans.
The Limited Rights of Slaves
As the importance of slavery grew, more limits were placed on the slaves. Colonists passed laws limiting their rights further. The Colonists even denied slaves basic human rights, but instead treated them as property. Owners of slaves didn't question if it wa right to treat their slave the way they did, they believed that Africans were inferior to white Americans. Settlers also thought that they were helping the slaves by forcing Christianity on them. Some colonists spoke out about the evils of slavery. (see pg. 4-5) The Quakers in Pennsylvania were among the first group of settler to speak out against slavery.
Photo by Josiah Wedgewood