The White Man's Burden

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1) Why, as depicted in the preface, does Jordan use the term racism reluctantly?

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Because racial attitudes are so different today than they were in the time of slavery and people of that time did not have the same feelings towards different races. (p. vii)

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2) What did the concept of "blackness" mean to the British prior to American colonization?

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As the English had become accustomed to knowing the answers to life's everyday concerns, the "blackness" of the Africans concerned them, as they could not find a reason for it. At first, in a brilliant feat of deductive reasoning, the English concluded that because their skin tanned in the son, that had simply been what had happened to the Negroes, only in excess. However, they eventually realized the impracticality of this notion, and proceeded any number of improbable answers to this all-important question. However, they were destined to be puzzled for many years thereafter. (pp. 4-10)

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3) What were the Englishmen's initial impressions-religious, social, and sexual--of Africans before they became slaves in the American colonies?

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More than anything else, the Africans seemed simply quite foreign to the Englishmen. The difference in religion was perhaps the easiest for the Englishmen to understand, as they had previously been acquainted with "heathens." However, the absence of Christianity in Africa presented a confusing dilemma to the Englishmen, for if they converted the Africans, it would become more difficult to distinguish between Africans and Englishmen according to the English. On the other hand, they were forsaking their duty by not converting them. Ultimately, they did nothing.
The behavior of the Africans was equally intriguing to the English. Jordan describes reports on "cosmetic mutilation, polygamy, infanticide, ritual murder, and the like." (p. 13) It is also important to note that the English were forced to compare the actions of the Africans by their own social structure, which was rather rigid in comparison. (p. 13)
The English were not necessarily shocked by the sexual practices of the Africans, as there had been whispers of "lustful" (p.19) attitudes prior to England's contact with West Africa. These whispers were only confirmed with the initial contact. Nearly every report about Africa included a section on their "lustful" lifestyles. (p. 19)

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4) What does Jordan mean by the "unthinking decision" (chapter 2) to enslave Africans in America in the seventeenth century?

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The English did not set out to enslave the Africans. They were searching for a new source of labor, as indentured servitude was not proving efficient or inexpensive enough. However, even as the Portuguese and Spanish began the process of enslavement, the English were still mostly disinterested. However, by the 1560s, the Englishmen had realized there was profit in supplying slaves for the Portuguese and Spanish. During the first quarter of the 17th century, however, it was still uncommon for an Englishman living in America to possess a slave. By the 1640s, however, it became clear that the English had begun the practice of hereditary. One can see, however, that it was not so much the "English casting about for a people to enslave," as Jordan puts it, (p. 33) but a gradual acceptance that slavery was acceptable. As Jordan says, "an equation had developed between Africans and slavery." (p. 35)

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5) How did the terms "servant" and "slave" differ in seventeenth-century America and England?

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Much like the saying about rectangles and squares, all slaves could be servants, but servants should not be slaves. Slaves had completely lost all personal liberties, a condition that was passed on to their children. Additionally, while servant-hood could be left anytime, slavery was considered a life-long condition. The slaves were seen as captives. (pp. 31-33)

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6) As Jordan sees it, which came first, racism or slavery? (see especially pp. 45,54)

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According to Jordan, slavery and racism, or "prejudice," as he puts it, generated each other. If slavery had caused racism, Jordan argues, the prejudices against the Africans should have appeared sometime after the introduction of slavery, rather than at about the same time. If the opposite were true, and racism had caused slavery, it is expected that the racism against the Negroes would have been more evident throughout history leading up to enslavement. (p. 45) The two progressed rapidly together, perhaps to assist the Englishmen in justifying the enslavement. (p. 45)

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What were slave codes and what was their function, according to Jordan? Were they aimed at disciplining black men or white men

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The slave codes were basically a series of laws written regarding slaves. Though they were present in the North, the Southern slave codes were considerably harsher. According to Jordan, these laws were not for the benefit of the slaves, but the white men. It detailed how they should treat their slaves, in terms of the freedoms they should be allowed, and how they should be punished for violating the harsh rules of conduct. In this way, the legislature could delegate the task of preventing a slave uprising to the slave-owners themselves, under the guise of making the slaves aware of their rights. (pp. 60-61)

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8) Describe the tensions involved in miscegenation in the English colonies? What do these tensions tell us about racism and slavery in America?

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Quite a bit of the tension caused by miscegenation was the English issue with the differences between whites and Negroes. They had firmly established the fact that the Negroes were "different," but they were human, and did have many similarities with the "whites." Thus, white men often desired the Negro women, which is, as Jordan says, inevitable. However, miscegenation was viewed with such revulsion in the colonies, an awkward tension arose. This shows one of the baser problems with slavery and racism in America. In the backs of their minds, the settlers knew there were many similarities between themselves and the slaves. The plantation owners did desire the Negro women, but the taboo of this was so firmly ingrained it caused significant discomfort. The same held true for white women and Negro men, though to a lesser extent. (pp. 69-73)

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"The white man's fears of Negro sexual aggression were equally apparent in the use of castration as a punishment in the colonies" (p. 81). Explain.

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The white men's issues with the Negroes regarding sexual aggression were essentially made up of insecurity and guilt. Guilt, because it was easier to declare the Negroes as "lustful" and to condemn their desire of black women than to admit their own lust and desire. They also worried that the Negro men were more sexually desirable than themselves. Castration allowed them to "control" the lustful attitudes they condemned, and to reassert themselves as sexually superior, for what man could not be in comparison with the castrated male. They also seemed to take particular issue with sexual intercourse between a black man and a white woman, for long after castration had been repealed as a punishment for running away, or hitting a black man, it remained as a consequence of rape of a white woman. (pp. 79-82)

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10) How did the colonists' religious beliefs impact their beliefs about slavery?

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The colonists certainly gave religion much consideration, particularly during slavery's beginnings. There were several writings discussing the spiritual equality of man, and whether slavery was going against that equality. Religion was also an issue for the colonists, as they were religiously bound to convert the slaves. However, they worried that would make them rise up against their masters. All in all, the Englishmen largely ignored the issue of religion, though many slaves were eventually converted. Ultimately, however, the greatest effect of religion was that the discussion of religion in regards to the slaves prompted the discussion of intelligence. The white men assumed that the Negroes, not immediately fluent in English, were stupid, and this idea was only emphasized when discussing whether the Negroes had the mental capacity to be converted. The correlation between the Africans and stupidity, hurried along by the discussion of religion, would persist for many years thereafter. (pp. 87-98)

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How did the concept of the "Great Chain of Being" allow colonists to rationalize slavery?

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The Great Chain of Being, which placed Negroes farthest from Europeans and closest to apes on the social hierarchy gave colonists even more ammunition for their treatment of the Negroes. If they were so close to animals, clearly they should be treated as such. It was not so much that the Europeans actually saw the Negroes as animals, but that they wanted an excuse to treat them that way. The Great Chain of Being afforded them this opportunity. (pp. 100-105)

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12) How and why, according to Jordan, did colonists differentiate between American Indians and African slaves?

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One of the major justifications the Europeans gave for their enslavement of the Africans was their skin color. However, the Indians presented a problem, as they also possessed a darker skin color. Fortunately for the Englishmen, they were able to convince both each other and themselves that the reason the Indians had darker skin was because they dyed it with tree bark and oils, and that they were actually as white as any Englishmen. Admitting that they too were different than the English, but were not enslaved, would have been quite detrimental to their cause. (p. 108)