Stacey Goldy
HIS 1010-02
Professor Reynolds
October 8th, 2015
African American Life in the New World
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, ‘slavery’ was introduced to the New World. At first, it was more associated with the term ‘indentured servants.’ These were people who paid their way into the New World by signing contracts to work until their debts were paid up. However, there was an increase in the demand for food as more people came to the New World. As this happened, more land became occupied by individuals who did not want to work on their own property, hence the idea of indentured servants. Indentured slavery turned into working slavery because it was based more on religion, which became a racial distinction. Ships were …show more content…
In general, African Americans were accustomed to the warmer climate, so they could survive in humid conditions. They were also less vulnerable to disease. Africans from the coastal region knew how to dive, swim, and fish for food such as shrimp and crocodiles. Food and utensils were also preserved from African culture. Okra, peanuts, and yams also became a part of Southern foods, and some Africans grew rice. They knew which plants could be eaten and which ones could have been used as medicine. In terms of working, they showed colonists the process of planting and maintaining rice, and soon enough production had increased quickly. Men and women were able to bring their knowledge of skills that they used in Africa. Men who would work with iron didn’t need much instruction in metalworking, because they did so much of it back in Africa. Women would tend to the house, often stopping what they were doing for their own family to serve their master. Some in the South used “strips from...long palmetto leaves to bind together circular baskets of all shapes and sizes” (55). They also used gourds to make “bowls, dippers, and storage containers.” All in all, African Americans may have lost their freedom but at least they were able to use a bit of their culture in their new world. In conclusion, the New World treated African Americans horribly primarily because of their race. Between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, African Americans encountered a painful transition and all in all, set the course on how history unfolded afterwards. Africans struggled tremendously since they came from their homes where they were free to having everything stripped away from them. However, Africans were able to provide and keep their sacred culture and leave their mark on American
HIS 1010-02
Professor Reynolds
October 8th, 2015
African American Life in the New World
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, ‘slavery’ was introduced to the New World. At first, it was more associated with the term ‘indentured servants.’ These were people who paid their way into the New World by signing contracts to work until their debts were paid up. However, there was an increase in the demand for food as more people came to the New World. As this happened, more land became occupied by individuals who did not want to work on their own property, hence the idea of indentured servants. Indentured slavery turned into working slavery because it was based more on religion, which became a racial distinction. Ships were …show more content…
In general, African Americans were accustomed to the warmer climate, so they could survive in humid conditions. They were also less vulnerable to disease. Africans from the coastal region knew how to dive, swim, and fish for food such as shrimp and crocodiles. Food and utensils were also preserved from African culture. Okra, peanuts, and yams also became a part of Southern foods, and some Africans grew rice. They knew which plants could be eaten and which ones could have been used as medicine. In terms of working, they showed colonists the process of planting and maintaining rice, and soon enough production had increased quickly. Men and women were able to bring their knowledge of skills that they used in Africa. Men who would work with iron didn’t need much instruction in metalworking, because they did so much of it back in Africa. Women would tend to the house, often stopping what they were doing for their own family to serve their master. Some in the South used “strips from...long palmetto leaves to bind together circular baskets of all shapes and sizes” (55). They also used gourds to make “bowls, dippers, and storage containers.” All in all, African Americans may have lost their freedom but at least they were able to use a bit of their culture in their new world. In conclusion, the New World treated African Americans horribly primarily because of their race. Between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, African Americans encountered a painful transition and all in all, set the course on how history unfolded afterwards. Africans struggled tremendously since they came from their homes where they were free to having everything stripped away from them. However, Africans were able to provide and keep their sacred culture and leave their mark on American