Study Notes on the Origins of American Slavery by Philip D. Morgan

Author: Philip D. Morgan
Source: OAH Magazine of History, July 2005
Volume: 19, No. 4, Pages: 51-56
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Slavery is commonly referred to as "the peculiar institution"; however, it was prevalent in various forms throughout history across multiple societies.
Notably, aborigines of Australia have yet to reveal a historical connection with slavery, suggesting a possible lack of evidence rather than pure absence.

This essay aims to explore critical antecedents of slavery in North America while highlighting its distinct developments.
The objective is to strike a balance between recognizing continuities in the institution of slavery and noting significant changes that occurred over time.
It seeks to identify connections and preconditions without implying determinative causality.

Prevalence of Slave Societies:
- Notable slave societies historically include ancient Greece and Rome.
- A slave society is defined as having a substantial percentage (over 20%) of its population comprised of slaves.
Classical Rome:
- Rome exemplified slavery aligned with its imperial expansions; slaves were utilized in large-scale agriculture and the latifundia (large estates).
- Justifications for slavery in Roman law influenced contemporary views on slavery in America.

Dehumanization:
- Slaves in both ancient and American societies often faced humiliation (e.g., being referred to as "boy").
Mechanisms of Control:
- Branding, head-shaving, and special clothing for domestic slaves were employed in both contexts.
Fugitive Control:
- Similar practices were established to control fugitive slaves; e.g., wearing metal collars.
Role of Literature:
- The Life of Aesop demonstrates high anxiety and fear levels inherent in slave societies, reflecting similar sexual tensions later observed in American slavery.

Ancient slavery was characterized by a more inclusive nature where various ethnicities could be enslaved, contrasting sharply with racialized slavery prevalent in America, which became tied to the ideology of racial superiority and inferiority.
Cultural Practices:
- Greeks enslaved abandoned children, while Romans inflicted torture on slaves to obtain testimony.
- Philosophical acceptance of slavery was commonplace, as Aristotle deemed some individuals as "slaves by nature."

Arabs utilized black Africans, initiating long-distance slave trades beginning in the 7th century and continuing into the 20th century.
Millions were transported across the Sahara, Mediterranean, and Indian Ocean to various regions, perhaps rivaling transatlantic trade numbers in volume.

Slavery existed in Africa prior to the Atlantic slave trade, with varying significance across regions; in some, it was a minor institution while in others, slave exploitation was severe.
Many regions were fragmented ethnically, allowing for easy slave raiding by opportunistic merchants and kings, highlighting a lack of a cohesive identity to thwart such activities.
African labor was considered more productive due to environmental adaptability and agricultural skills.

As Europe's economy grew in the 10th and 11th centuries, the Mediterranean regions became focal points for slave trade, particularly due to Crusader states and the Venetian and Genoese merchant ships.
The word "slave" originated from the Latin term sclavus (referring to Slavic people) as Europe shifted from using enslaved 'white' populations to increasingly incorporating black Africans.

The capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453 severed the traditional white slave procurement routes for Christian Europe.
Subsequently, there was a shift to obtaining African slaves through a reinforced Arab caravan trade facilitating supply to the Iberian Peninsula.

By the late 15th and early 16th centuries, slavery systems were not only rapidly expanding in Iberia, with the black slave population of Lisbon reaching about 15%.
Portuguese colonization led to the exploitation of local indigenous populations in the Americas before a turn toward African slaves, which grew significantly due to labor shortages following the decimation of Native American populations.

Racial undertones in slavery in the Americas differ significantly from slavery in earlier periods.
Racial motivations evolved complexly over time as society’s interactions with enslaved individuals transformed perceptions.
Medieval imagery and cultural associations increasingly connected blackness with negative depictions, feeding systemic racism that became embedded in society.

Commercial Character: New World slavery was exclusively commercial and varied greatly across regions.
Plantations were defined by high-scale economic operations designed for profit, utilizing extensive systems of black slavery alongside rigorous labor management.
Social Demographics: The gender ratios among enslaved populations and integration of survivors provided for the first self-reproducing slave populations within North America, creating unambiguous patterns of inheritance and lineages.

The institution of slavery, intertwined with racial ideologies, was central to the development of the Americas.
The American dream of freedom faced a stark contradiction through slavery, illuminating the country’s history as one born from a duality of aspirations for liberty juxtaposed against the realities of bondage.
The movement towards emancipation, initiated around 1776, rapidly gathered momentum and culminated during the 19th century, representing a significant historical and moral shift in societal values regarding slavery.

Notable citations contributing to this discussion span historical analyses from ancient civilizations to modern critiques of racial ideologies and slavery’s legacies, including works by reputable historians such as Kenneth M. Stampp, David Brion Davis, and others, addressing both historical developments and cultural ramifications of slavery.