Slavery in the United States - Research Paper Example

? Slavery in America By the time the first slaves were brought to the colony of Virginia in 1619 slavery had been an accepted for thousands of years. Slaves were first brought to America from Africa to help grow crops such as tobacco. By the time of the American Revolution there were slaves in every colony. However there were many slaves and others against slavery that fought to end it. Slavery continued throughout the 19th century. It would end in 1865 with the end of the Civil War and the passage of the 13th amendment of the Constitution. In 1612 English planter John Rolfe who settled in Jamestown, Virginia was credited with successfully cultivating tobacco as an export crop in Virginia.1 Earlier English settlers did not like the taste of the tobacco grown there. In order to improve the taste Rolfe crossed the breed from Trinidad which had a sweeter taste with the Virginia tobacco to produce a plant that took well to the local soil. Rolfe was the first to cultivate these plants in North America and its export resulted in a boost of the Virginia colony’s economy. The popularity of tobacco in England and the available land in the Virginia colony led to plantations all over Virginia. 2(Allen & Schweikart 2004) Tobacco crops could best grow on extensive farmland. Growers constantly needed additional labor. Colonial leaders wanted indentured servants. That included “20 and some odd Negroes” brought to Virginia by a Dutch ship in 1619.” (Allen & Schweikart 2004, 19). Blacks had been captured in Africa and were sold at auction in Jamestown. There have been conflicting accounts indicating how the first blacks in America were treated. “The status of the first blacks in the New World remains somewhat mysterious, and any thesis about the change in black status generates sharp controversy.”3 (Allen & Schweikart 19) Some historians believe that the first blacks were treated equally to white indentured servants. While other research has indicated that there was no clear criterion for slaves during colonial times. Some early black servants were slaves enslaved for a just a few years. In 1641 Massachusetts gave statutory recognition to slavery and other states would do the same. There were no laws protecting the slaves. While there were many black indentured servants in Virginia and Maryland during the much of the 1600’s there was also enough white indentured servants that were able to work the plantations in those and other colonies. However during the 1660’s the supply of white servants declined due to the declining birth rate in England. This decline resulted in increased wages for the English so many chose to remain there. In order to make up for this loss planters in the Chesapeake region would get enslaved Africans to work their plantations.4 (Slavery Takes Root in Colonial Virginia). The number of slaves would increase in these colonies as years passed. In the 1660’s slavery spread quickly throughout the colonies. There were more slaves in the South where large plantations grew cotton and other crops. Initially there were no clear laws regarding slaves and some black and white slaves were given freedom after several years. During this time the American colonies passed laws that stipulated relationships between slaves. One of these laws forbade intermarriage between white colonists and black slaves. Another law indicated that black slaves and the offspring of female slaves would be enslaved for the rest of their lives. These laws were known as slave codes. Under the slave codes slaves were also not allowed to own weapons, get an education, they needed permission from their masters if they wanted to move, and were prevented from testifying against whites in court. (Becker) Slaves on small farms had more freedom than plantation slaves. “This premise, combined with the natural population growth among the slaves, meant that slavery could survive and grow…” (Becker 1660 section) Some reasons why Africans were chosen as slaves was because that more miners were needed, the development of plantation agriculture, as well as the price increase in sugar and consumption of sugar.5 (Becker) The plantation owners felt that Africans would be best suited to handle the tropical agriculture surrounding the southern plantations because they were accustomed to such an environment in Africa. Also they tended to be more immune to conditions such as yellow fever and malaria than Europeans. Slaves were primarily used as household staff, on tobacco farms in Virginia as well as sugar plantations. After African slaves were first brought to the colony of North Carolina in 1670 slavery spread throughout the South.6 (“Slavery in the colonial United States”) Northerners also bought slaves. They commonly worked as domestic servants, artisans and artesian servants. Aside from Africans many colonists would also capture Native Americans and force them into slavery. If Native Americans were able to escape they would go to Florida where they could be free. The Virginia Slave codes of 1705 legally justified the use of slaves that were Native Americans and those who came from non Christian countries. Throughout the 1700’s slavery in the United States would continue. However not everyone believed that slavery was acceptable. In the 1700s blacks and whites would take part in slave revolts from New York to South Carolina. During this period there are records in Massachusetts of slaves petitioning the courts for their freedom. In 1735, the trustees of the colony of Georgia passed a law to make slavery illegal, which was then legal in the other twelve colonies. They did not want to deal with slave rebellions. The law supported Georgia's original charter—to turn some of England's poor into hardworking small farmers.7 (Slavery in colonial America) However by 1750 Georgia allowed the use of slaves in the state because they could not get enough indentured servants as laborers. More laws from parliament in 1750 imposed slavery on the colonies. England passed these laws in an attempt to ensure that colonists would not revolt against the monarchy.During this period slavery existed in all the colonies. The Southern colonies had more slaves than the Northern colonies because the South depended heavily on an agricultural economy. In 1720, about 65% of the population in South Carolina consisted of slaves.8 (Slavery in Colonial America) Early on, Southern slaves would work in agriculture on farms growing indigo, rice and tobacco. After the invention of the Cotton Gin by Eli Whitney cotton during the 1790’s cotton became a primary crop. “The invention of the cotton gin enabled the cultivation of short-staple cotton in a wide variety of areas, leading to the development of the Deep South.” (Slavery in the United States) Cotton became very profitable leading to the growth of Southern plantations that relied more heavily upon slave labor. Southern whites cited this change as further justification for slavery.9 A Southern planter designated the acres of land that would need to be used to grow crops. He would also decide whether to buy more slaves or invest in machinery, and always keeping an eye on the market prices of his crops. A southern planter's wife had to help look after her domestic slaves and help maintain the slave quarters. Southern women had to accept the rape of female slaves by their husbands and sons. There were no laws that protected these women who would sometimes become pregnant. Farmers normally owned a few slaves and worked alongside them however, the goal of many small slaveholding farmers was to obtain more slaves and land so they could become planters themselves.10 (Slavery, the Economy, and Society) When the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 slavery was unacknowledged. “Jefferson’s original statement condemning the slave trade and slavery was removed by the Continental Congress.” (Gordon 1977, 106) Congress needed unanimous approval for the Declaration to be signed and the exclusion of any condemnation of slavery would ensure the support of New England and of the South where many slaves worked on plantations. Slaves had fought alongside free colonists during the Revolutionary War. Many had lost their lives and they were not acknowledged. Several years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence some more steps were taken in the protest of slavery. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 providing for the government of the Northwest Territory banned slavery in that area. By 1804 all of the Northern states no longer felt slavery was appropriate and they wanted it abolished. In the South several planters left wills that stated the slaves could be freed upon their deaths. 11 Many slaves protested their conditions and harsh treatment, which often included whippings and severe beatings. Some of their protestations would include feigning illness, deliberately defy orders, destroy farm equipment, set fire to buildings and steal food. These would be impulsive acts that would disrupt the routine of the plantation. (Resistance to and the Defense of Slavery) On some plantations slaves could complain to a master about harsh treatment from a supervisor and hope for help from him. Many slaves would run away but some would return. In the early 1800’s several major revolts began to take place. In 1800 Gabriel Prosser organized a revolt by recruiting a thousand of other slaves with a plan to set fire to Richmond Virginia and to kidnap the governor. This revolt failed when some of the other slaves informed the authorities about the plot. Twenty years later a similar plot failed when Denmark’s Vesey’s plan to hold Charleston hostage was revealed to authorities by other slaves.12 (Resistance to and the Defense of Slavery) Some slaves still wanted to protest against slavery. David Walker wrote a book entitled Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World. In it he stated that “armed rebellion was the only appropriate response to slavery.” (Resistance to….. Slave revolts section) In 1831 Virginia slave Nat Turner enlisted slaves to organize a revolt against slavery. This revolt began in August when Turner and about seven other slaves killed Turner’s master and his family to launch his rebellion. At one point approximately 70 other slaves joined Turner’s rebellion. They traveled to various homes freeing slaves and killing white people. The slaves did not use firearms but instead used various blunt instruments. After a few days the militia overpowered the group. The Rebellion resulted in the brutal murder of fifty seven whites and Turner was eventually tried and hung with thirteen other rebels13. (Resistance to and the Defense…) Initially Turner’s revolt convinced many slave owners in Virginia that slavery should end. In 1832 the Virginia legislature contemplated a proposal which would eventually emancipate slaves. The proposal was debated in the legislature with some for the abolishment of slavery and some against abolishment. However Virginia and the other Southern states soon opted for greater oppression of African American slaves. (Resistance to and the Defense of Slavery) “Supporters of slavery pointed to Turner's rebellion as evidence that blacks were inherently inferior barbarians requiring an institution such as slavery to discipline them …” (Slavery in America) New slave codes passed in each of the Southern states increased patrols to look for slaves who run away and free blacks were forbidden to hold meetings even “under the pretext of attending a religious meeting.” (Allen & Schweikart 2004, 263) Slaves could not be educated and they could not own weapons. Security increased in an effort to prevent violent revolts from slaves. Owners were prevented from freeing slaves. After 1832 all Southern whites were in favor of slavery. In the North, the increased repression of southern blacks would eventually provide ammunition to the abolition movement. Most of the Southern states attempted to stop the antislavery movement largely supported in the North. “In 1835, the South Carolina legislature called on the Northern states to make it a crime to publish or distribute anything that may incite a slave riot.” (“Resistance to and…..”) In spite of the new laws imposed by many states of the Union regarding slavery there were other attempts to abolish slavery completely. In 1831 Theodore Weld, William Lloyd Garrison Arthur and Lewis Tappan as well as Elizur Wright had the goal of “immediate emancipation.” (Abolitionist Movement) Garrison soon began publishing his newspaper the Liberator supported by free African Americans who participated in the abolitionist movement. 14These men founded the American Anti-Slavery Society which “denounced slavery as a sin that must be abolished immediately, endorsed nonviolence and condemned racial prejudice.” (Abolitionist Movement) Eventually there were several branches of this society especially in the Northern states. However there were also violent outbursts from many in the South and North. These actions, which included the murder of abolitionist editor Elijah Lovejoy, resulted in many Northerners voting for politicians who were against slavery. The Anti-Slavery Society eventually split up after disputes between its members regarding Garrison’s idea to extend equal rights for women. Other leading abolitionists included Harriet Tubman , a former slave who worked on the Underground Railroad helping Southern slaves who ran away from their masters escape to the Northern states and Canada and Harriet Beecher Stowe who wrote the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin and as a result convinced Northerners that slavery needed to stop.15 (Gordon 1977) During the mid 1800s the North and South constantly fought for control of the federal government so that they could use its powers to act in accordance with their sectional interests. (Gordon) The disputes had to do primarily with the status of slavery in new states wanting to join the Union. The North did not want slavery while the South wanted more slave states. “With the purchase of the Louisiana Territory and the application of Missouri for statehood, the long-standing balance between the number of slave states and the number of free states would be changed. “ 16 (“Missouri Compromise, 1820”) Congress passed this law and admitted Missouri as a slave state while Maine was admitted as a non-slave state at the same time, resulting in an equal number of slave states and Free states The Missouri compromise also prohibited slavery in most of the Louisiana Territory. The North and South fought over Kansas when the Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854 ruled that those who resided in a specific territory could determine the status of slavery. This act upset many Northerners who felt that the original agreement had been violated. (The Kansas-Nebraska Act) The people for and against slavery attempted to clarify the status of Kansas to affect the outcome of the first election held there after the law went into effect. Northerners accused Southerners of voter fraud and violence broke out over this dispute. Another election was then held and those who were for slavery won. Congress would not accept the constitution that the pro-slavery settlers adopted and Kansas was not allowed to become a state. Eventually it would become a free state in 1861 (Gordon 1977) Dred Scott was a slave who had sued the federal courts for his freedom beginning in 1847. Ten years later his case was brought to the United States Supreme Court.17 The Supreme Court ruled that slaves were property and can be taken to any government territory. They could never become American citizens. “The North denounced and the South applauded…” this decision. (Gordon 1977, 107) The decision would have a profound influence on the subsequent nomination of Abraham Lincoln by the Republican Party and his election to the presidency in 1860. After Lincoln was elected the South seceded to the Union. When Lincoln took office as President in 1861 many of the Southern states had seceded from the Union. They formed the Confederate states of America and elected Mississippi Senator Jefferson Davis as President.18 (The Civil War and Emancipation) During his inaugural address in March 1861 Lincoln vowed to maintain the Union and he did not want to repeal the Fugitive Slavery Law. Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and others remained with the Union. (Allen& Schweikart 2004) In April the Confederacy attacked Fort Sumter, “a federal stronghold in Charleston, South Carolina.” (“The Civil War and Emancipation) Federal troops retaliated violently. This began the Civil War. After the attack Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas seceded from the Union. In order to keep neighboring states from doing the same President Lincoln maintained to the people of the South and North that the war was primarily being fought in an effort to preserve the Union. To prove this he upheld laws preventing African Americans from joining the army. However slavery “as a moral issue most clearly distinguished North from South” (Gordon 1977, 107) was a primary cause of the Civil War. Other causes included the Northern belief in a strong Central government vs. Southern belief in state rights, as well as Northern industry vs. state agriculture. (Gordon) The federal government was unsure about how to deal with runaway slaves. Some commanders of Union forces made them join their group while others returned them to their masters. In August, 1861 the federal government determined that fugitive slaves were declared to be war assistants if they were used to assist the Confederacy in the war effort. 19(The Civil War and Emancipation.) As the Civil War progressed in 1863 Lincoln instituted the Emancipation Proclamation. His intention was to weaken the Confederacy. The act “declared free those slaves under Confederate control.” (Gordon 1977, 107). More Union Armies then accepted African Americans into the military to fight in the war. The Emancipation Proclamation was enforced throughout remaining regions of the South that had not freed the slaves after the end of the Civil War in 1865. Earlier that year the thirteenth amendment of the Constitution was passed by Congress. It was ratified on December 6, 1865. The amendment abolished slavery in the United States and provides that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, nor any place subject to their jurisdiction."20 (13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery) President Lincoln had actively pushed it through Congress. It was first passed by the Senate with a vote of 38-6, the needed 2/3 majority was defeated in the Senate. (13th Amendment…) In conclusion slavery in America lasted for over 200 years. It had become an accepted practice partly because of the need for additional labor. However as time passed, more people realized that slavery could no longer be accepted in our society. As a result laws were changed and battles were fought to end it. Bibliography Allen, Michael and Larry Schweikart. A Patriot's History of the United States. New York, NY: Penguin Group Inc., 2004. Becker, E. "Chronology on the History of Slavery and Racism" Holt House. http://www.innercity.org/holt/slavechron.html (accessed May 12, 2012). Gordon, Irving. American Studies A Conceptual Approach. New York, NY: Amsco School Publications Inc., 1977. CliffsNotes.com. Slavery, the Economy, and Society. 12 May 2012 . CliffsNotes.com. Resistance to and the Defense of Slavery. 14 May 2012 . “Abolitionist Movement,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/topics/abolitionist-movement (accessed May 15, 2012). "The Civil War and Emancipation" Africans in America. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2967.html (accessed May 14, 2012). "Dred Scott's Fight for Freedom" Africans in America. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2932.html (accessed May 14, 2012). Wikipedia, “Slavery in the Colonial United States”, accessed May 12, 2012, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Colonial_America Wikipedia, “Slavery in the United States,” accessed May 12, 2012, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_united_states "13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery" America's Historical Documents. http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/document.html?doc=9&title.raw=13th%20Amendment%20to%20the%20U.S.%20Constitution%3A%20Abolition%20of%20Slavery (accessed May 14, 2012). "The Kansas-Nebraska Act" The History Place. http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln/kansas.htm (accessed May 13, 2012). "Missouri Compromise 1820" U.S. News and World Report. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/documents/docpages/document_page22.htm (accessed May 13, 2012). "Slavery in America” The History Channel. http://www.history.com/topics/slavery (accessed May 13, 2012). "John Rolfe - Tobacco Farmer" Historic Jamestown Rediscovery. http://apva.org/rediscovery/page.php?page_id=183 (accessed May 12, 2012). "Slavery Takes Root in Colonial America" Digital History. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=672 (accessed May 12, 2012). Read More