Author Morton Wagman attempts to explore corporate slavery that very much existed in New Netherland during the seventeenth century throughout his article titled “Corporate Slavery in New Netherland”. He takes his audience on a journey that is detailed with the beginning, middle and eventual conclusion of the crop of slaves owned by the Dutch West India Company. Initially, Wagman dives into the historical significance of the purchase, explaining that this particular group of slaves in New Netherland “were not privately owned” and that “they were captured by” the company’s “privateers preying on Spanish and Portuguese shipping in Latin American waters” (Wagman, 34). Intriguingly so, the company was unsure of how to use these slaves in the most
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For one, the males were usually “employed in various” jobs that involved physical labor like construction (Wagman, 34). Most of the women were used in “domestic” professions that did not require the hard labor the males had to pursue and execute (Wagman, 34). As time moved on, the company started using these slaves in a much broader sense, and “occasionally” sent slaves to be “employed in the military service” to combat the Native American threat during the 1640’s (Wagman, 35). Afterwards, the company started “lending” its slaves to some of its officers in an attempt to cut down costs (Wagman 36). The company was beginning to see that owning and using slaves properly was extremely expensive. Moreover, after cutting down costs and being driven out of certain countries, such as Brazil, their strategy in dealing with slaves they owned began to take some shifts. Perhaps the heart of Wagman’s article, the company switched to what he refers to as adopting a “dual approach” in dealing with slaves. The slaves they owned were progressively being treated as members of the company, or “employees” (Wagman, …show more content…
Slaves within this company actually had “rights” and “privileges” that were basically unheard of during this particular time period in world history (Wagman, 37). Unless you did not put the time in, slaves in this company were treated with a certain dignity that was very much hard to come by. The company gave these slaves not only rights, but also the privileged grant to actually “testify in court” and sign certain “legal documents” (Wagman, 38). Some were even allowed to “bring action against white settlers” (Wagman, 37). Arguably the most significant benefit of the entire deal involved slaves being promised freedom if they had worked hard enough for the company. According to the article, during the year of 1644 eleven slaves “petitioned” for “their freedom” (Wagman, 38). After much thought, their director granted them their freedom. This former is certainly the thesis or primary focal point of the article. Wagman is attempting to explain and explore the substance and importance of how the company treated their
For one, the males were usually “employed in various” jobs that involved physical labor like construction (Wagman, 34). Most of the women were used in “domestic” professions that did not require the hard labor the males had to pursue and execute (Wagman, 34). As time moved on, the company started using these slaves in a much broader sense, and “occasionally” sent slaves to be “employed in the military service” to combat the Native American threat during the 1640’s (Wagman, 35). Afterwards, the company started “lending” its slaves to some of its officers in an attempt to cut down costs (Wagman 36). The company was beginning to see that owning and using slaves properly was extremely expensive. Moreover, after cutting down costs and being driven out of certain countries, such as Brazil, their strategy in dealing with slaves they owned began to take some shifts. Perhaps the heart of Wagman’s article, the company switched to what he refers to as adopting a “dual approach” in dealing with slaves. The slaves they owned were progressively being treated as members of the company, or “employees” (Wagman, …show more content…
Slaves within this company actually had “rights” and “privileges” that were basically unheard of during this particular time period in world history (Wagman, 37). Unless you did not put the time in, slaves in this company were treated with a certain dignity that was very much hard to come by. The company gave these slaves not only rights, but also the privileged grant to actually “testify in court” and sign certain “legal documents” (Wagman, 38). Some were even allowed to “bring action against white settlers” (Wagman, 37). Arguably the most significant benefit of the entire deal involved slaves being promised freedom if they had worked hard enough for the company. According to the article, during the year of 1644 eleven slaves “petitioned” for “their freedom” (Wagman, 38). After much thought, their director granted them their freedom. This former is certainly the thesis or primary focal point of the article. Wagman is attempting to explain and explore the substance and importance of how the company treated their