Origins of Colonial Slavery
In Coombs’ article he argues for a much more complex and earlier origin story for the English American colonies embrace of slavery in the 17th and 18th centuries. His argument exists to a certain degree in opposition to a “virtually unanimous” interpretation of available data that points to the last quarter of the 17th century as the beginning of a shift toward slavery in the colonies. This interpretation suggests that in the late 1670’s the colonies saw a decline in bonded white servants due to more hospitable economic conditions in the mother country and systemic social instability capitulated with rebellions like Bacon’s. He argues against this timeline shift to slavery. Coombs’ believe this notion and impetus …show more content…
Coombs’ argues against the notion that this shift in labor practices happened gradually and proportionately from a fixed point late in the 17th century across Virginia and acrossall stratas of society relatively equally. He argues that local regional conditions also played a large role in determining the level of slave utilization and by whom. Coombs’ overall argument is, “There was no trigger cause for the conversion. Rather the rise of slavery began in the first decades of settlement and steadily grew in concert with the development of England 's empire, the expansion and maturation of English involvement in commercial slave trading, and Virginia’s integration into the Atlantic …show more content…
He goes on to suggest that it is only through this international lense that a fuller understanding of its origins can be found. Coombs’ argue that it was England 's growing role in international seafaring commerce particularly in the caribbean that brought on the shift towards slave farming. With the overhaul of Royal monopolies on African trade and England 's ascension to power on the seas many more private companies were permitted to compete in the African slave market. This spike in supply due to a shift in royal policy and exertion of power increased the flow and fed the already robust demand for slaves on the colonial market. Where once only elites with access to the right people could acquire slaves(which they preferred for reasons of status and or economy) it then became possible for the lower levels of society to acquire them. As Virginia became a more established and robust economic block they slowly became more and more integrated into the the Atlantic network. An example of Virginia’s integration into the Atlantic slave economy can be seen in the exportation of grain and livestock to the caribbean to support the clear cut Barbados plantations of the sugar boom in the
In Coombs’ article he argues for a much more complex and earlier origin story for the English American colonies embrace of slavery in the 17th and 18th centuries. His argument exists to a certain degree in opposition to a “virtually unanimous” interpretation of available data that points to the last quarter of the 17th century as the beginning of a shift toward slavery in the colonies. This interpretation suggests that in the late 1670’s the colonies saw a decline in bonded white servants due to more hospitable economic conditions in the mother country and systemic social instability capitulated with rebellions like Bacon’s. He argues against this timeline shift to slavery. Coombs’ believe this notion and impetus …show more content…
Coombs’ argues against the notion that this shift in labor practices happened gradually and proportionately from a fixed point late in the 17th century across Virginia and acrossall stratas of society relatively equally. He argues that local regional conditions also played a large role in determining the level of slave utilization and by whom. Coombs’ overall argument is, “There was no trigger cause for the conversion. Rather the rise of slavery began in the first decades of settlement and steadily grew in concert with the development of England 's empire, the expansion and maturation of English involvement in commercial slave trading, and Virginia’s integration into the Atlantic …show more content…
He goes on to suggest that it is only through this international lense that a fuller understanding of its origins can be found. Coombs’ argue that it was England 's growing role in international seafaring commerce particularly in the caribbean that brought on the shift towards slave farming. With the overhaul of Royal monopolies on African trade and England 's ascension to power on the seas many more private companies were permitted to compete in the African slave market. This spike in supply due to a shift in royal policy and exertion of power increased the flow and fed the already robust demand for slaves on the colonial market. Where once only elites with access to the right people could acquire slaves(which they preferred for reasons of status and or economy) it then became possible for the lower levels of society to acquire them. As Virginia became a more established and robust economic block they slowly became more and more integrated into the the Atlantic network. An example of Virginia’s integration into the Atlantic slave economy can be seen in the exportation of grain and livestock to the caribbean to support the clear cut Barbados plantations of the sugar boom in the