ipl-logo

Slavery Dbq Questions And Answers

1048 Words5 Pages

Tobacco and Slaves: Exam 1 In colonial America, slaves were definitely not seen as equal humans to the Englishmen but they were not treated horribly, by English accounts at first. Englishmen left accounts that showed they cared about the treatment of their slaves, but only in a manner of the African American slaves being property while the better treatment of them would in-turn make the Englishman a better plantation owner therefore producing more crops like tobacco. The African American slaves in the colonial Virginia were in a sense seen as merely property to their owners. They were often grouped into the same column as livestock, such as cows and other animals, to the owners. “Take an Exact account of all the Negroes & Stocks [animals] …show more content…

As one could imagine, this did not go over well with their respected slave owners. Lieutenant Governor William Gooch writes of the escapee slaves saying, “Some time after my last [letter] a number of negroes, about fifteen, belonging to a new plantation,… formed a design to withdraw from their master and to fix themselves in the fastnesses of the neighbouring mountains,” (Document 3.9). This letter written by Gooch reflects the actions not of his own slaves, per say, but the collective slaves of the Virginia colony. It is written with intent to find a way to control the slaves so that running away will no longer be an option for the captive African Americans. The actions of the runaway slaves suggest that they were under distress of some sort and needed to escape. Gooch also mentions that the slaves belong to a “new plantation,” suggesting that the slaves have recently been bought or sold into this plantation owner’s possession. The new plantation owner could have been more harsh then the slaves past owners creating a new found extreme want for freedom like never before for the captive slave workers. Gooch also mentions towards the ending of his letter, “Tho this attempt has happily been defeated ought nevertheless to awaken us into some effectual measures for preventing the like hereafter,” (Document 3.9). This line expresses the fear of repeated attempts of slave escapes from the colonist, which only leaves the way they will control this from happening again. One can infer that slave masters to ensure that these types of escapes are prevented would enforce harsher slave

Open Document