The Impact Of Slavery
1198 Words
5 Pages
Labor is a primary factor of production and refers to human mental and physical work that is done to create goods and services. When human beings are forced to work for someone else’s advantage, against their wishes, in a hostile environment, they are said to be enslaved. Slavery, therefore, refers a system where principles of property are applied to human beings, so humans end up being categorized as properties to be bought, owned, and sold without an ability to withdraw from the arrangement. Indentured servants were laborers who worked under a contract with their masters, to serve them for a given period of time. In exchange for being servants, they received food, passage to the Americas and accommodations when they got there. In this article
…show more content…
North America was open to settlers from British Isles and other parts of Europe (Clark, 2008, p. 63). These settlers went on to practice agriculture alongside other economic ventures. With the climate and soil of the South being more suitable for the cultivation of commercial (plantation) crops such as tobacco, rice, and indigo, the English men and women learned to survive in Virginia and together with Maryland, transformed the area in to their colony. They engaged to make the area economically fit, create their own local governments and adapt their values and practices to new world realities (Clark, 2008, p. 63). Since the environment was conducive for plantation of tobacco, they started tobacco growing and exporting it to Europe. Although tobacco was a poor man’s crop and could be grown in small scale using independent means, the richer and lucrative people owned large plantations and could only harness labor of other people to do the work on their behalf. Thus, Slavery took root in the southern colonies on a much larger scale than in the northern colonies as they were mostly used due their cheap cost of production and great experience they had from farming in West Africa. Most Africans and a few whites languished in poverty or orphans were being used as slaves. Initially most laborers were indentured servants from Europe, few Native, and few Africans. The indenture contract …show more content…
According to the law, children of slaves were also slaves and “Christians” could not be slaves, with the exception of Africans. Another law in 1682 said that, “those whose parents or homeland were not Christian at the time of their purchase were defined slaves” (Clark, 2008, p. 81). Interracial cohabitation and marriage was banned. Slaves were denied from owning land, carrying arms, and joining military. African women were not protected against rape as the whites. Since white servants had laws treating them more preferably than black servants and since the white servants were guaranteed their freedom, they started to think of themselves as being better than blacks. As the white labor became scarcer, many planters followed Thomas Gerald’s lead in purchasing and importing Africans to work. Until year 1698, the Royal Africa Company enjoyed a market monopoly on slave trade to English colonies. Within few years, the monopoly law was dissolved and the supply of slaves became more rampant. Slaves now outnumbered the servants by five to one (Clark, 2008, p.
North America was open to settlers from British Isles and other parts of Europe (Clark, 2008, p. 63). These settlers went on to practice agriculture alongside other economic ventures. With the climate and soil of the South being more suitable for the cultivation of commercial (plantation) crops such as tobacco, rice, and indigo, the English men and women learned to survive in Virginia and together with Maryland, transformed the area in to their colony. They engaged to make the area economically fit, create their own local governments and adapt their values and practices to new world realities (Clark, 2008, p. 63). Since the environment was conducive for plantation of tobacco, they started tobacco growing and exporting it to Europe. Although tobacco was a poor man’s crop and could be grown in small scale using independent means, the richer and lucrative people owned large plantations and could only harness labor of other people to do the work on their behalf. Thus, Slavery took root in the southern colonies on a much larger scale than in the northern colonies as they were mostly used due their cheap cost of production and great experience they had from farming in West Africa. Most Africans and a few whites languished in poverty or orphans were being used as slaves. Initially most laborers were indentured servants from Europe, few Native, and few Africans. The indenture contract …show more content…
According to the law, children of slaves were also slaves and “Christians” could not be slaves, with the exception of Africans. Another law in 1682 said that, “those whose parents or homeland were not Christian at the time of their purchase were defined slaves” (Clark, 2008, p. 81). Interracial cohabitation and marriage was banned. Slaves were denied from owning land, carrying arms, and joining military. African women were not protected against rape as the whites. Since white servants had laws treating them more preferably than black servants and since the white servants were guaranteed their freedom, they started to think of themselves as being better than blacks. As the white labor became scarcer, many planters followed Thomas Gerald’s lead in purchasing and importing Africans to work. Until year 1698, the Royal Africa Company enjoyed a market monopoly on slave trade to English colonies. Within few years, the monopoly law was dissolved and the supply of slaves became more rampant. Slaves now outnumbered the servants by five to one (Clark, 2008, p.