Slavery Dbq Analysis

Slavery was a common, acceptable concept amongst both the Indigenous groups and French colonists. However, both groups had differing views and methodology in regards to slavery. Indigenous slavery was motivated by revenge on their enemies, through the torture and domination of their rivals’ men, as well as, defense for their tribe. However, for the French, slavery was motivated by economic purposes; to enable growth and advancement of their economy, population, and society. These differing motivations resulted in distinctive methods of captivity and domestication.
The indigenous peoples valued dominance over their enemy rather than domestication, as they were motivated by revenge, and to caution their enemies. They are described as having performed unnecessarily violent physical and verbal acts on their captives, such as, tearing off the ears, nose, and lips of a captive, or branding the captives with iron instruments. These acts were done to prevent their escape, maintain the weakness of a captive, but mostly it signifies their exertion of power and dominance over their enemy. As seen in document 1, the aboriginal slave halter is described as having a delicate nature, often referred to as bridles or harnesses. These terms used to describe the halter suggest the idea of a garment rather than for the use of …show more content…
The ritualistic nature of slavery amongst the Indigenous groups are performed out of spite for their enemies, and to exert their dominance. They valued the torture and anguish of their captives more than they did of their domestication, which became their definition of slavery. On the other hand, the French viewed slavery as an economically purposeful benefit. They enforced laws and ordinances to regulate the actions of a slave, as well as to assimilate and control the roles that the slaves partake in