Which came first: slavery or racism? Based on Jordan, White Over Black

Jordan’s thesis White prejudice did not become racism until the late 1700s after the American Revolution, because of the possibility that Black slaves might become free

When the English first saw Africans, they had four impressions: Africans as black Africans as heathens (no religion) Africans as savages Africans as overly sexual Are any of these racist?

Jordan says, “no”: These reactions “did not add up to a vision of innate, ineradicable inferiority, rooted in the body” These first impressions were not racism, but things they saw as differences. These reactions did not lead to the enslavement of Africans English were interested in comparisons of culture “Savages” were considered products of their environment Skin color was seen as a result of climate

We need to ask two separate questions: What caused slavery? And why were some groups enslaved rather than others?

What caused slavery? Economics (that was easy) So……

Why were some groups enslaved and not others?

Why Africans? Others did it: Slavery existed in Africa Spanish and Portuguese were already enslaving Africans They had been used to grow sugar in the Mediterranean Africans seemed to fit their ideas about slaves: Africans were captives Viewed as lacking civilization and religion Not English

What about others? Why not Native Americans? Why not the Irish, Scots and Welsh? They tried because they viewed Native Americans as they viewed Africans But natives could easily escape, died from European diseases, and there was a greater threat of retaliation from Native American societies English did treat them differently, often barbarically But they were fellow Christians And they were protected by established governments They could serve as indentured servants, who were brutalized, degraded, and subject to treatment harsher than slaves at time, but were never stripped of their freedom.

The English first used indentured servants, but shifted to enslaved Africans because: Fewer people became indentured servants Slaves were a better long term investment Could pass slave status to children Had a decreased chance of flight Fit existing preconceptions about slaves, were vulnerable, and available Is this racism?

Jordan says, “no”: English didn’t try to justify enslaving Africans because there was no apparent need to justify slavery at this time. The chief distinction of this time was religion, not skin color or race Africans happened to be black, but blackness wasn’t why they were enslaved

When did racism arise?

Problems arose in the early 1700s: African slaves converted to Christianity Some African slaves became free and lived side-by-side with free whites What to do about children of mixed-race couples? Are they black or white? Slave or free? The original arguments for enslaving Africans no longer work

Critical shift: The American Revolution The Declaration of Independence says that ALL people are created equal. Many Americans begin to oppose slavery; many slaves are freed. Question: If Americans are free and independent, what should be done with slaves, who are not free, and not independent?

Seems like slavery might be abolished. What happened? A profitable cotton industry depended on slave labor. Cotton was a central part of the American economy and during the Revolution demand for it increased, so the economy came to depend more on slave labor. Fear of slave rebellions, as in Haiti.   For economic reasons, slavery was viewed as necessary by the new American government (most of whom were plantation and slave owners)

How to justify enslaving Africans? Black slaves assumed inherently unequal. Because they’re not fully human, they don’t deserve equal rights. Over time, Blacks (free and slave) banned from juries, and increasingly segregated from whites in churches, schools, and other public spaces. In some states, one drop of African blood is enough to label a person “Black.”