Slavery Dbq Research Paper

Slaves did not have any rights because they were considered property of their owners. The slave owners had absolute authority over their human property. In Louisiana law: “The master may sell him, dispose of his person, his industry, and his labor; [the slave] can do nothing, possess nothing, nor acquire anything but what must belong to his master” (“Slavery”). Things were not always as bad as they were there. In the very early part of colonization, in places like New Amsterdam, blacks enjoyed privileges that would later be denied to enslaved blacks. “For instance, like white servants, black laborers could take their employers to court. Some, like Pedro Negretto and Manuel Rues who sued for unpaid wages, even won their cases. Documents also …show more content…
As slaves replaced indentured servants as the main source of agricultural labor, laws restricting the activities of African Americans were quickly introduced. For example, South Carolina passed an “Act for the Better Ordering and Governing of Negroes and Slaves” which outlined penalties for offenses committed by blacks and excused any white person who caused the death of a slave while punishing them (Sambol-Tosco). Because they were considered property, they did not have protection under the law and could not marry. “Although slaves could not legally marry, they were allowed to by custom with the permission of their owners. Couples were not always entitled to live under the same roof, as each spouse could have a different owner, miles apart. All slaves dealt with the threat of forcible separation; untold numbers experienced it first-hand” (Hunter). The slave masters let them marry because they thought that the married men would be less likely to be rebellious and try to escape. Several slaves stated in their autobiographies that they were reluctant to marry women from the same