Effects of the Black Majority - Article Example

Effects of the Black Majority: From Stono to Washington The objective of this paper is to discuss the effects of the black majority in the areas of South Carolina from 1670 through the Stono Rebellion based on the novel by Peter H. Wood1 published in 1974. The first part is a summary of what the novel is all about and enumerates the key insights as to how a black majority in South Carolina came about. The second part addresses the objective of the paper and is a discussion of the effects of having a black majority in South Carolina’s population during the period 1670 to 1739. Wood’s 1974 novel is a historical work on what is now the state of South Carolina, at the time a part of the colonial territory known as Carolina, from the years 1670 to 1739. These two years mark important milestones in Carolina’s history: 1670 marks the arrival of Negro slaves with their English masters from Barbados, a Caribbean island, while 1739 marks the year of the Stono Rebellion, the largest Negro uprising in pre-Revolution America. Wood’s work weaves a gripping historical narrative that covers an era that is significant on several counts. First, he explains how the commercial interests of English businessmen were linked to the colonial interests of the English monarchy. Second, he gives details on the deals and transactions that took place in England where loyalty to the Royal Crown is rewarded or punished depending on the fortunes of those in power. Third, he cites detailed examples of how whites and blacks, freemen and slaves, oppressor and oppressed lived in those days. Fourth, Wood explains the circumstances that led to the development of a unique Negro culture in that part of the world that led to the Stono Rebellion in September 1739 and the effects on racial attitudes, South Carolinian culture, and the future struggle for the independence of America. Wood presents a number of interesting insights on how the black majority came about, how and why it led to the Stono Rebellion, and how the effects of having a black majority have rippled through the culture, society, and history not only of South Carolina but also of the rest of America and of the world, in effect placing South Carolina and its black majority as Ground Zero in the global struggle for racial equality and against racial discrimination. First, several among the first wave of slaves were indentured, with fixed contracts and were eventually allowed to own and till their own land. Second, the heavy reliance of the Carolinian economy on slave labor led to increasing immigration of blacks from Africa and the Caribbean. Third, since the crops planted required skilled labor that came from specific areas in Africa whose peoples possessed the needed farming skills and natural immunity to diseases, the slaves were able to develop a common culture and survive in the harsh environment. Fourth, aside from the fact that the farming skills the slaves possessed made them valuable to their masters, the common culture made it easier to spread ideas of freedom and change among the slaves. And lastly, the ruling colonialists were mostly businessmen with liberal ideas whose treatment of slaves were dictated by commercial interests and therefore tended to be abusive. These same factors that led to the formation of a black majority, and which eventually led to the Stono Rebellion, were the same factors that determined the effects on the culture, society, and politics of the region and of the world.2 The first effect was cultural, specifically the development of the Gullah language and identity that is still prevalent in many parts of South Carolina. A common language makes communication easier. This in turn not only made it easier and faster to share and discuss ideas of freedom and change, but also helped the black majority develop its own identity and distinguish itself from the white minority and the other black populations in other parts of America. This differentiation is a powerful influence on later developments as the common language allowed the transmission of the historical, cultural and personal legacies of the black majority from one generation to the next. Aside from language, the black majority influenced the culture in South Carolina, such as its cuisine, way of life, the manner by which slaves are treated, and the opportunities opened to the black majority in American society. These had a social effect that became at the same time a source of confidence for the black majority and a threat to the white minority. The social effect on the latter was one of unrest, as the growing black majority began to voice and affirm their rights against abuses and their common aspirations and desires for freedom, escalating from passive measures to active violence. In return, the colonialists reacted by becoming even more abusive and enacting laws such as the Security Act of 1739 that was meant to counteract the growing unrest and violence of the black majority. The Stono Rebellion was in fact a reaction to this law and was timed by the rebels to precisely exploit what they perceived to be a narrowing window of opportunity. However, not all the slaveholders were abusive and hated by the black majority. There were a number who treated their slaves well and who were loved by the slaves in return. Some slaveholders respected the terms of indentured slavery and practiced manumission or the freeing of slaves, even to the extent of giving these slaves part of the land they cultivated and allowing them to share in the fruits of their labors. Therefore, while some slaveholders saw the black majority as a threat that required a stronger means of suppression and control, other slaveholders learned to accept and understand the sentiments of the black majority and found it useless to deny from the slaves the freedom and bright future they sought. As in any society, not everyone reacted the same way. Not all slaves desired freedom through violence and rebellion, and not all slaveholders abused their slaves and denied them a life of freedom and convenience. In the aftermath of the Stono Rebellion, the colonial government cracked down on the slaves with the enactment of the Negro Act of 1740. While the law was designed specifically to temper the power of the black majority, it had far-reaching social and political effects. First, the rebellion signaled a change in the mindset of the slaves, giving them an ideal to dream about: freedom, a change of life, and a different and brighter future if not for them at least for their descendants. Such a change in attitudes was not lost on the minds of slaveholders. Second, slavery became an issue beyond the commercial and colonial considerations that preoccupied the English. The black majority helped redefine the colony as a land of freedom and presented our founding Fathers with a clearer vision of what to fight for. Third, the suppression of the Negroes opened the minds of their white masters and paved the way for the American Revolution a few decades later. Perhaps, the white ruling class saw in the Negro struggle their inner desires to be free from England, and saw the brutal extent to which the English would carry out their colonial ambitions if given the opportunity. Such an awakening triggered the evolution of political will to change the status quo, so that instead of accepting things as they have been, people in America began questioning past traditions and probing their limits. By highlighting the racial aspects of the struggle for freedom, the black majority stoked the embers of social tensions simmering under the surface, somehow accelerating the political development of a group of people of all colors and races that would eventually develop and mature into America, now a global superpower and symbol of freedom. Slightly over two and a half centuries later, one of the dreams of the black majority has come true: one from their race has become the President of America. Reference List Wood, Peter H. Black Majority: Negroes in Colonial South Carolina from 1670 through the Stono Rebellion. New York: Alfred Knopf, 1974. Read More