Revolutionary War Slavery

Amongst the Civil War, General Patrick Cleburne had mentioned how, “slavery, from being one of our chief sources of strength," had evolved into "one of our chief sources of weakness" (Bodenner). When the Emancipation Proclamation was released, all the slaves were freed leaving the white men to do the work for themselves (Holzer). This changed the course of the war because the white men were no longer free to fight in the war because they had to do their own work (Holzer). This meant that the Southern army no longer had many soldiers. It also meant that the North now had many more soldiers, who were also former slaves (Holzer).

The demand for forced labour in the Unites States throughout the 1600’s to the 1800’s has been a heavily discussed topic throughout media, debates and even conversations among friends. Elements of slavery such as the beating and raping of African-Americans, as well as forcing them to work for endless hours in the heat with the constant threat of harm are among many valid arguments presented today. However, during the 246 years slavery was legal in the United States the idea of owning another human being and doing with them as you please wasn't considered an immoral act. This form of forced labour itself was brought to American shores in 1619, when the first African-American slaves were transported to a North American colony in Jamestown, Virginia.

In the 1700s, around half of the people living in the southern colonies were slaves. They were frequently forced to do jobs, and would work under their master’s order all day and night. They worked all kinds of jobs, they could for example be field hands in the tobacco fields or house slaves. House slaves were often treated better than the field slaves, and while field slaves often were whipped, house slaves used to do chores around the house or help their master in his trade shop. Field slaves were usually given one set of clothing that was supposed to last a year.

He described slaves’ fear of their masters that often took pleasure in punishing and whipping their property; the hardships of fieldwork where blacks would work all day with only few breaks for meals or how the owners were impregnating black women in order for them to produce more, free laborers. Douglas wrote and published his autobiography when slavery was legal in many states. He believed that once white people will hear about the reality of black’s lives on the plantations and it would come out of slaves’ mouth, they would understand that slavery must be abolished immediately. The book became a huge success, within four months of the publication, five

History, “Bacon’s Rebellion helped to catalyze the creation of a system of racial slavery in the Chesapeake colonies” (79). The demand for higher benefits displeased many business owners which influenced them to seek other lower risk laborers. After the Bacon’s Rebellion, plantation owners and merchants feared of another costly dispute among their indentured servants. The practice of chattel slavery offered as a more promising prospect for preventing future rebellion. The underlying pattern of the conspiracy was to select people who were illiterate and destitute to work in the foreign land of the Atlantic World.

The fugitive slave laws were disliked by Northerners, but they were laws that must be followed as they were enacted under the Constitution. Document C provides an example of the problems the newly enforced laws created. Free African Americans had to constantly be aware of being kidnapped or mistaken for a runaway slave. Slave Hunters would often kidnap free blacks and claim they were runaway slaves, so they could make a profit of them. Although some people took advantage of the fugitive slave laws, there were groups of abolitionists who still fought to end slavery, despite what the Constitution upheld.

Some slaveholders hired personal managers for their households while others just relied on mistresses to oversee and handle household affairs. Slaveholder’s were infatuated with becoming the best cotton manufacturer as well as becoming skilled producers of sugar and rice. Eager for success, they put their slaves to hard work on the plantations; clearing substantial amounts of forest and hoeing fields for harvest. By the 1850’s Congress still

They millions of slaves, changed them out like clothing, they were forced to work till they died, or paid the debts they owed. Also with out a doubt the slaves were treated badly, but also some masters were more openhanded. The slaves were the fuel that lead the Romans, from running the houses, to nurturing the children that might not have been their own. This became obvious, Rome itself was beginning to realize they used slaves as a crutch on a day-to-day

They inherited and held property and if they were married they gained control over their property. They were treated as equal as the men. They had a voice and they were able to say what they wanted when they wanted. The only problem that really arose was that the women were sometimes bossing around the men and it didn’t always go over so smoothly. Just like today’s women, they raised their children, managed their houses and educated their children but they were very handworkers and they weren’t giving up.

In the 19th century, slavery and the Reconstruction was a sore subject for the South. Reconstruction forged civil rights for African-Americans, but once the North’s influenced waned in the South, the South terrorized African-Americans and blocked them from accessing their newfound rights. While Reconstruction may have brought civil rights, those rights were quickly squashed by the South’s racism. Even after certain freedoms were securely gained, every new attempt to make African-Americans equal to the white populace was contested. A large group of people were happy to see slavery ended and civil rights rise.