Slavery in the Colonies Chapter 4 Section 3

Section Focus Question How did slavery develop in the colonies and affect colonial life?

The Atlantic Slave Trade Some people estimate that more than 10 million enslaved Africans were transported to the Americas between the 1500s and the 1800s. The Spanish and Portuguese brought the first Africans to the Americas. The British, Dutch, and French also entered the slave trade. Soon, English colonists – especially from New England – were actively shipping enslaved Africans across the Atlantic.

Slave Traders Slave traders set up posts along the West African coast. Africans who lived along the coast made raids into the interior, seeking captives to sell to the Europeans. Bound at the leg and neck, captives were forced to march as far as 300 miles to the coast. Half of these captives died along the way.

Middle Passage Once they arrived at the coasts, captives were traded for guns and other goods. They were then loaded onto slave ships and transported across the Atlantic on a brutal voyage that became known as the Middle Passage.

Slave Ships To increase their profits, some slave-ship captains crammed the maximum number of captives on board. As many as 350 people might be bound together in a tiny space below deck, with little light or air. Other captains provided better conditions, in hope that more captives would survive in good health and fetch a higher price.

The Enslaved As a result of the horrible conditions, 15 to 20 percent of the enslaved Africans died or committed suicide during the Middle Passage. Once slave ships reached the Americas, healthy men, women, and children were put on the auction block. They might be sold one by one or in groups. Family members were often separated at this point.

Triangular Trade By the 1700s, slave traders in the British colonies had developed a regular routine, known as the triangular trade. The triangular trade was a three-way trade between the colonies, the islands of the Caribbean, and Africa.

The First Leg On the first leg of the three-leg voyage, ships from New England carried fish, lumber, and other goods to the Caribbean islands, or West Indies. There, Yankee traders bought sugar and molasses, a dark syrup made from sugar cane. The ships then sailed back to New England, where colonists used the molasses and sugar to make rum.

The Second Leg On the second leg, ships carried rum, guns, and other goods from New England to West Africa. There, merchants traded the goods for enslaved Africans. On the final leg, ships carried their human cargo to the West Indies for sale. With the profits from selling enslaved Africans, traders bought more molasses.

Slavery in the Colonies Slavery had existed since ancient times. However, in many cultures, slavery was not for life. In the Americas, a harsher system of slavery developed over time.

Slavery Takes Root The first Africans who reached Jamestown may have been treated as servants. By the late 1600s, ships were bringing growing numbers of enslaved Africans. Slavery took root because of the plantation system. The profits that could be made from tobacco and rice led planters to import thousands of Africans to work the fields. The southern economy began to depend on slavery.

Indentured Servants For planters, slaves were preferred to servants. Indentured servants were temporary. Once their terms were over, they could go. Also, as conditions improved in England, fewer servants came to America.

Enslaved for Life As the need for cheap labor grew, colonies made slavery permanent. In 1639, Maryland passed a law stating that baptism did not lead to liberty. This meant people could be enslaved for life. In 1663, a Virginia court held that any child born to a slave was a slave too.

Attempts to Stop Slavery In 1652, Rhode Island passed the first antislavery law. However, it did not survive long, because Rhode Island shippers made high profits from the slave trade. Georgia had a ban on slavery until the 1750s and then lifted it. Slavery became legal in all the colonies.

Racism Not every African in America was a slave, but slavery came to be restricted to people of African descent. Thus, slavery was linked to racism. Racism is the belief that one race is superior or inferior to another. Most English colonists believed themselves superior to Africans. Colonists also believed that they were helping Africans by introducing them to Christianity and European ways.

Resistance to Slavery As the number of enslaved people grew, whites began to worry that they would revolt. A revolt means to rebel; to participate in an uprising. The first serious slave revolt took place in 1663, in Gloucester, Virginia.

Slave Codes Fearing more trouble, colonial authorities wrote slave codes, or strict laws that restricted the rights and activities of slaves. Under the codes, enslaved people could not meet in large numbers, own weapons, or leave a plantation without permission. It was also illegal to teach enslaved people to read or write. Masters who killed enslaved people could not be tried for murder. Slave codes gave masters more control over enslaved Africans and made it harder for escaped slaves to survive.

African Cultural Influences The lives of the enslaved Africans differed greatly from colony to colony. Only 10 percent of the enslaved population lived north of Maryland. In cities of the North, they were often hired out to work as blacksmiths or house servants. On small farms, they might work along side the owner. Over time, they might buy their freedom.

The South In the South, the lives of enslaved Africans varied. On rice plantations in South Carolina, Africans saw few white colonists. As a result, more than any other enslaved Africans, these workers kept the customs of West Africa. They produced the African grass baskets used to sift rice. They spoke Gullah, a special dialect that was created on the west coast of Africa during slave times.

Virginia and Maryland Enslaved Africans in colonies, such as Virginia and Maryland, were less isolated from white society. Still, many African customs survived. Crafts workers in cities used African styles to create fine quilts, furniture, carved walking sticks, and other objects.