Unfree laborers in the Colonial period were the institutional turning point of having slaves and indentured servants. Slaves and indentured servants were the primary means of the wealthy in America at this time and were seen throughout many colonies. Either as a slave or an indentured servant, the person was expected and required to work in fields to maintain crops, as a house servant, or of anything else the master chose for them to do. The treatments of both had their similarities but also having their differences. During this time period indentured servants were treated more fairly, whereas the slaves were treated unfairly.
By the 17 century their social structure was based on cultivators and plantation, and population was at its highest peak in 1760 due the slavery trade. The North and south Caroline brought their profit mostly by the slave trade since the southern region demanded high range of
However, another significant contrast caused by the establishing intentions was the economy of the two. As specified beforehand, the Chesapeake economy spun around the tobacco business, which prepared for different enterprises too. Slave exchange depended completely on the tobacco ranch proprietors as a market to pitch the slaves to. Moreover, the tobacco sufficiently raised to back the importation of contracted hirelings, who might then go to work the tobacco, expanding the creation further. It turned into a cycle, with the outcome being the regularly expanding creation and offer of the tobacco.
Housing in the southern colonies depended in your social status. Wealthier families would live on plantations with stone and brick buildings, the slave usually lived on the plantations with their owners. New England colonies had a fair class system mainly made up of a wealthy merchant class. Men were the head of the households in the southern colonies while the women did much of the house work cooking, cleaning, quilting and raising the
The Southern Colonies were established as economic projects and were looking for natural resources to provide material wealth to the region and themselves. In the other hand New England colonists were mainly religious and protestors. The Middle colonies welcomed everybody. People with different religious beliefs, lifestyles, etc. They
Slavery was a predominant factor in the South’s way of life. Notably, slaves provided free labor for plantation owners. Many colonists that remained loyal to Britain when the idea of independence first made its round, known as Loyalists, typically were members of the wealthy class in the Deep South. In other words, Loyalists supported Britain, and did not want to become independent from Britain. The British encouraged slaves of rebel masters to escape to British lines, though they were sometimes equivocal on whether the runaways would actually be freed (Frank, 2008).
With the rise in the production of cotton, the south needed more slaves in order to control and to work the cotton production. This invention increased the demand for slave labor. The invention of The Cotton Gin led to a prosperity in the Southern economy creating a one-crop economy for the South. There was a pressure put on the relationship between the North and the South and their different perceptions of slavery
As one begins their journey on the open road, discoveries are made, new people are met, and life is fully changed. The thought of freedom comes to mind when describing the United States but comparing modern times to the past would not be effective. Freedom did not occur until after slavery passes through. There were many individuals who made an impact. Fredrick Douglass was an African-American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman who wrote My Bondage and Freedom which expressed his struggles and reflections about slavery.
Originally, this system was to help “civilize” local populations as well as give them Christianity, which was viewed as a valuable commodity. Of course, this quickly devolved into what amounted to a prize system where those favored by the Crown would be given essentially governorship over large tracts of land, and were then expected to ensure that economically viable goods were returned to Spain in exchange. These groups were also typically given the task of town building as well, which incurred population growth in the region. This system, alongside what could easily be described as plagues ravaged the local populations and required that new slaves (typically African in origin) be found, further pushing forward the slave trade as early as 1501 (Baym 6). Alongside physical destruction of populations, as a result of the often religious pretext and hard labor, many traditions and cultural history of local tribes were wholly dismantled, leaving Native populations without a viable history or tradition, a curse shared with African slaves as
In addition they were able to have a long growing season and boost their economy. In the Middle Colonies they grew staple crops such as corn, barley, oats, and wheat. Again, they were able to succeed because of their rich land and soil, and a great climate. Last, New England also took advantage of crops such as wheat and corn even though they had rocky soil, forests and harsh cold weather. On the other hand, New England mainly depended on fishing and shipbuilding.
In Georgia, the climate was warm enough to grow and trade cash crops such as tobacco and corn. This would eventually
The use of slaves has always been present in the world since the beginning of civilization, although the use and treatment of those slaves has differed widely through time and geographic location. Different geographies call for different types of work ranging from labor-intensive sugar cultivation and production in the tropics to household help in less agriculturally intensive areas. In addition to time and space, the mindsets and beliefs of the people in those areas affect how the slaves will be treated and how “human” those slaves will be perceived to be. In the Early Modern Era, the two main locations where slaves were used most extensively were the European dominated Americas and the Muslim Empires. The American slavery system and the
They both wanted to increase their wealth, and both found people to force into labor. It is a classic pattern that has happened throughout human history and probably will continue to happen. What I like about The World They Made Together is that Sobel does not create an exaggerated image of what slavery in 17th century Virginia looked like. I know that there were many truly horrid people who mistreated their laborers with unspeakable cruelty, but that was not always the case. Sobel points out that there was slavery in Africa too, and that in Virginia, white laborers were often treated the same way as blacks.
Slavery in the Southern United States was a system by which the white man ruled the black man. Slavery in the United States draws its roots back to the colonial era with the African slave trade. What makes slavery different in the United States than in the Caribbean was the fact that the United States developed a slave population capable of reproduction and even growth. When the African Slave trade ended, the slave population was able to maintain and grow in size. Slavery would continue to thrive in the southern United States due largely to the booming cotton industry which required a large work force to cultivate the crop.
Agriculture dominated the south with its ability to produce exceptional wealth for plantation owners. However, they were in need of labor and so they “made all men their slaves in hopes of recompenses.” (Doc. F) Many Englishmen brought over indentured servants from Europe who served as the foundation of the labor force for plantations. Soon enough, ¾ of the population in the south colonies were made of indentured servants.