Slavery in North America: A Complicated History
SLAVERY IN NORTH AMERICA: A COMPLICATED HISTORY
THE NATIVE AMERICANS
In 1490, the estimated population of North America was roughly 4 million people.
Dr. Fritz describes the major groups as being "politically organized into chiefdoms," defined by historians as societies ruled by hereditary elites.
These elites created and exercised power through collecting tribute from subordinates.
They negotiated with the supernatural realm to improve their societies.
Hernando De Soto landed in Florida in 1539.
He pushed into the interior of North America, motivated by hopes of finding silver and gold, but ultimately failed.
De Soto introduced devastating diseases to Native American populations.
He died from fever on the banks of the Mississippi River in 1542.
MONK’S MOUND
Built by indigenous peoples between 1050 and 1150 AD, this site is located in Cahokia, which was a major hub for Mississippi River culture.
The population of Cahokia reached about 20,000 to 30,000 people.
Monk's Mound featured a house on its top level, where the chief resided.
The mound likely had religious significance for its inhabitants.
According to Dr. Fritz: "Such indigenous sophistication must have been a marvel to Spanish conquistadors."
NATIVE AMERICAN SLAVERY
The nature of slavery among Native Americans differed significantly from that of Europeans.
Native American slavery often originated from taking prisoners.
These prisoners would sometimes be “adopted” into families that had previously lost loved ones in battle.
Importantly, this form of slavery was not hereditary; children of the slaves did not inherit the status.
Conversely, European slavery was characterized by chattel slavery.
This system was hereditary, with slaves possessing absolutely no rights.
A POTENTIAL PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN EUROPEANS AND NATIVE AMERICANS
The Powhatan chiefdom was on a growth trajectory and in need of allies.
The Virginia Company expressed willingness to explore an alliance with the Powhatan.
Following a period of warfare, the chief’s daughter, Pocahontas, engaged with the colonists and embraced Christianity.
Pocahontas was kidnapped by an English captain, but she was returned in exchange for some English prisoners.
This narrative is often romanticized as a symbol of peace between two cultures.
POPULAR CULTURE IGNORES A COUPLE OF KEY FACTS
Pocahontas married John Rolfe; however, details often omitted include:
She was married prior to this and had a son.
Her first husband was likely murdered by Virginia colonists.
After the death of the Powhatan chief, his brother—skeptical of an alliance with the English—initiated an attack that resulted in the deaths of about 300 of the 1,200 Jamestown colonists in 1622.
This attack fostered distrust among Virginians towards Native Americans, leading to the collapse of potential peaceful relations.
THE WESTO GROUP AND THE SPREAD OF SLAVERY
Dr. Fritz discusses the Westo group, a migration of indigenous people from the Great Lakes area to the Carolinas amidst violence.
The Westo group discovered they could acquire weapons from Virginia colonists by trading “captives” who were then enslaved.
This alliance resulted in new trade routes that led to the regularized practice of indigenous and eventually African slavery within tobacco and rice fields.
These crops became the primary commodities for English colonists.
The Westo group’s activities in slave raiding expanded into the Carolinas during the 1680s.
MIGRATION OF COLONISTS THROUGH NETWORKING
Colonists increasingly sought wealth in specific areas before relocating elsewhere.
Dr. Fritz cites the Colleton family as an example, who originated in Barbados, a sugar-dominant territory characterized by brutal slavery.
Sir John Colleton participated in a group of Englishmen granted permission by Charles II to establish a colony in Carolina.
Colleton's connections with the African slave trade brought him to Carolina in 1690, coinciding with the rise in rice cultivation profits.
His son James inherited plantations in both Barbados and Carolina, later becoming Governor of Carolina.
Consequently, Carolina utilized both Native American and African slaves.
THE WHITE LION ARRIVES IN VIRGINIA IN 1619
This event is often interpreted as the inaugural introduction of African slaves to the American colonies.
Dr. Fritz notes that while this was not the first arrival of enslaved Africans, “the importance of 1619 is its role in ushering in a specific slavery system unique to English America.”
SLAVERY IN MARYLAND
Dr. Fritz quotes that "Maryland moved to force all black people in the colony to serve as slaves for life, regardless of prior enslavement."
The 1692 ‘Act Concerning Negro Slaves’ clarified matters surrounding children of mixed ancestry and their parents.
Penalties were instituted for the white parents of biracial children, compelling them to serve as church servants for a designated duration.
The involvement of churches in Maryland's punitive actions regarding biracial children indicates early American church endorsement of slavery.
RIVALRIES AMONG COLONIZING NATIONS
Spain and France expressed ire over English expansion.
Spain particularly objected to English settlements in the Chesapeake and Lowcountry regions.
Dr. Fritz elaborates: “One goal of the Spanish attacks was to kidnap enslaved Africans. Upon their arrival in Florida, they were valued for their knowledge of English settlements.”
Enslaved Africans often allied with Spanish and Native American soldiers in attacks against English territories in South Carolina to liberate their friends and family members.
The success of this initiative led to Spain offering freedom to any enslaved Africans from South Carolina who managed to escape to Florida and convert to Catholicism.
THE STONO REBELLION (1739)
The Spanish promise of freedom incited the Stono Rebellion.
Those involved secured firearms and advanced towards Fort Mose in Florida, a haven for the enslaved.
En route, they killed their enslavers and liberated other slaves.
Their numbers increased to approximately 100 participants.
Lt. Gov. William Bull detected the rebellion and organized a militia to apprehend or eliminate the fugitives.
AFTERMATH OF STONO REBELLION
In response to the Stono Rebellion, South Carolina enacted the Slave Act of 1740, which limited the enslaved's ability to assemble and curtailed literacy efforts.
The rebellion elevated support among English colonies for retaliating against Spain for inciting insurrections among the enslaved.
General James Oglethorpe, founder of Georgia, attempted to besiege Spanish forts in Florida, successfully capturing some but failing to take St. Augustine by 1743.
DR. FRITZ ON THE PROSPERITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Dr. Fritz asserts: “On the eve of the American Revolution, South Carolina became the most prosperous English colony on the mainland, built on the backs of its rice-cultivating black demographic majority.”
The average wealth of white residents in Charleston reached five times greater than that of individuals in Boston and Philadelphia.
Therefore, the role of slavery significantly impacted discussions around compromises in the Declaration of Independence.
By 1860, 57% of South Carolina's population consisted of enslaved blacks; among the 15 individuals in the U.S. owning 500 or more slaves, 8 were from South Carolina.
AMERICAN MISGIVINGS ON SLAVERY
In Georgia, slavery was illegal until 1750, resulting in some religious dissent, notably from the Georgia Salzburgers.
In 1754, Quakers condemned slavery in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
In 1774, the Quakers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey denounced the ownership of slaves as being inconsistent with Christianity.
Dr. Fritz remarks: “Quakers were among the first to recognize the inconsistency between the rhetoric of the Revolution and the reality of slavery in America.”
AS WE DISCUSSED EARLIER IN THE CLASS
Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, originally included a condemnation of the British for facilitating the importation of slaves, referring to it as a “cruel war against human nature itself.”
This section was voted to be removed by delegates during editing.
ANOTHER MISCALCULATION BY JEFFERSON
Upon becoming President, Jefferson orchestrated the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, effectively doubling the United States' size.
Jefferson anticipated an increase in small farmers, which he believed would lead to a diminished reliance on slavery and eventually its abolition.
Contrary to his expectations, large-scale, slave-owning planters exerted control over expansion into new territories, while small farmers did not become prevalent.
When Native American groups like the Cherokees attempted to assimilate into plantation culture, they were forcibly relocated westward by the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
Southern plantation owners enhanced their cotton production during this time.
THE TENSION BETWEEN GREED AND LIBERTY
The cultivation of cotton played a pivotal role in the Industrial Revolution.
Despite this, opposition to slavery was on the rise.
The English Parliament abolished the slave trade in 1807, and most enslaved individuals in British territories gained freedom by 1838.
In America, an increasing number of citizens were contributed to abolitionist endeavors.
SOUTHERN DESPERATION
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was implemented as an attempt to mediate tensions.
This law mandated the capture and return of runaway slaves to their owners, even if they were found in a free state.
Citizens were prohibited from assisting runaway slaves.
Accused fugitives were denied the right to a jury trial.
The law faced strong condemnation in the North and actually heightened resistance initiatives, including the Underground Railroad.
HARRIET TUBMAN (1822-1913)
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland and escaped in 1849.
She became a crucial figure in the Underground Railroad, which provided assistance to slaves fleeing north.
Tubman was often referred to as “Moses” and claimed, "I never lost a passenger."
She successfully led about 70 slaves to freedom.
Additionally, she served as a spy for the Union and participated in the suffrage movement.
FREDERICK DOUGLASS (1818-1895)
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland and escaped to freedom in 1838.
He became a prominent abolitionist on an international scale.
Douglass' speeches and his autobiography established him as a significant historical figure, affecting change by persuading others to oppose slavery.