The technologies listed above contributed to which aspect of Colonial American development? A transportation B industrialization C education D exploration

American Slavery and Abolition

Historical Slavery Slavery has existed for a long time in history Ancient slavery typically was a result of war Losing soldiers often became slaves Slaves had some rights Could sometimes become citizens Modern slavery also exists Human trafficking “Wage slavery”

American Slavery The Transatlantic Slave Trade changed things Africans captured by Europeans and other Africans were sold to slave traders Shipped to the Americas to work on plantations Sugar cane was the first major cash crop The trade was described as Triangular Slaves to the Americas, raw sugar cane to Europe, rum and goods to Africa

Question 1 How do you think the slavery shifting from something tied largely to war (and power) to something tied to economics (money) changed life for the slaves?

American Slavery Slavery was used in all 13 colonies Mostly house servants Northern states all passed laws to ban it by 1804 The Three-Fifths compromise gave states with slaves more representation in Congress Each slave in a state counted as 3/5 of a person Eli Whitney’s cotton gin made slavery more profitable in the south Cotton became easier to process, but required a large amount of physical labor

Slave Trade The United States outlawed the international sale of slaves in 1808 However, the population of slaves in the U.S. was growing rapidly Due to cotton, slaves began to be sold and moved further south Away from places like Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee To the Deep South and West: Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas Most slave-owners only had 1 or 2 slaves, but the majority of slaves lived on plantations

The conditions of slavery Although the slave trade was regulated, what slave-owners did on their own property was not Punishments had little limit Slaves were not permitted to marry Families were often broken apart by slave-owners Escape was illegal, and could be punishable by maiming or death Food, medical help, and other supplies were often lacking or completely withheld

Question 2 Because slaves were so profitable on plantations, why do you think slave-owners would be willing to severely punish, or even kill, slaves who misbehaved?

Abolition With the end of the slave trade, people began to fight more against slavery Mostly in the North Called the Abolition movement It wanted to abolish, or remove and ban, slavery Some early Abolitionists worked to send African Americans back to Africa Created the American Colonization Society Founded the country of Liberia for this reason

Abolition Movement Abolition gained a passionate leader in William Lloyd Garrison With his newspaper, The Liberator, Garrison argued against slavery In 1831, he described his purpose: “I will be harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice…I am in earnest…I will not excuse—I will not retreat a single inch—and I WILL BE HEARD”

Abolition Movement Garrison tied abolition to the Second Great Awakening Argued that slavery was a horrible personal sin He created the American Anti-Slavery Society Helped organize and attract more abolitionists Other abolitionists included the Grimke sisters Believed it was as morally necessary for women to fight against slavery as it was for men

Question 3 Why do you think abolitionists like Garrison used a religious argument against slavery?

African American Abolition Many free African Americans joined the cause of abolition The most well known was Frederick Douglass Douglass was born into slavery, but had learned to read and write as a young child After escaping to freedom, he spoke and wrote passionately about the horrors of slavery Other African America abolitionists attempted to fight slavery with petitions and lawsuits

The Underground Railroad Some abolitionists began taking action to help slaves escape They called their network of safe-houses and hiding places “The Underground Railroad” Though some hiding places were underground, the term means it was a “secret path” Abolitionists and freed slaves led escaping slaves to the safe-houses and eventually North Fled to northern states and Canada Leaders were called “conductors”

The Underground Railroad One famous “conductor” was Harriet Tubman So well known that a $40,000 bounty was put out for her capture Tubman showed the dedication necessary for the Underground Railroad to succeed. “There was one of two things I had a right to: liberty or death…for no man shall take me alive”

Violent Anti-Slavery John Brown was an abolitionist who argued that slavery could only end through force Slave rebellions also occurred The most famous was Nat Turner’s rebellion in 1831 Included at least 100 slaves and killed at least 55 whites Turner wanted to use violence to illustrate the problems and violence of slavery Most slave revolts were suppressed without much success by rebels

Question 4 Why do you think the vast majority of slave revolts were ultimately stopped before they even started?

Activity Instructions After these instructions, you will organize yourselves into 5 groups Must be 5 total groups Move desks if you have to Each group will get an image and quote View these images/quotes, and discuss your ideas about them Then record your ideas on the worksheet 4 minutes to view/discuss, 4 to write Then we will switch images with another group