Origins of American Slavery - 1644 Words

Robert Marra Section 103 The Origins of Slavery in America The institution of slavery is a black mark on the history of America. The atrocities that were allowed to occur for hundreds of year are revolting to think about. History books and classes often detail the horrors of slavery, and the effects it had on our agricultural economy. However, they do not really explain why the practice of slavery was allowed to flourish in the colonies. They just present the facts of its occurrence. They do not consider the mindset of the people who thought it was justifiable to enslave a specific race. This paper seeks to answer this question using evidence from the studies of Degler, the Handlins, and Morgan. Slavery was not brought into†¦show more content†¦The blacks regardless of age or gender were always priced higher than their white counterparts, and the lengths of terms were absent. Their value was higher because their service was for life, explaining the absence of the length of term (Degler). Undoubtedly there are many more cases of blac ks being treated as slaves and inferiors than there are of whites, even though there was a plethora of white servants. However, the presence of a large number of free Africans or those with defined terms of services shows us that the discrimination of blacks cannot be the sole cause of slavery. While slavery had definitely begun, it was not uniform or consistent by any means. Had there not been another factor involved, it is not unfathomable that different, albeit poorly treated, classes of Africans would have formed. Continuing on the last point, were it not for specific economic conditions, slavery would not have evolved into the enterprise that it did. The Handlins argue that blacks were just as unfree as the whites who were unfree were. They claim that economic circumstance was the reason that blacks were enslaved. Due to the tobacco revolution the planters needed more laborers. However, the Europeans had heard of the harsh treatment of servants. This dissuaded them to make the voyage to the colonies. Therefore, the owners had to make servitude more appealing so they lessened the terms and restricted punishment (Handlin). The blacksShow MoreRelatedSlavery And The Civil War958 Words   |  4 Pagesblood in slavery so that many parts of America could become prosperous and recognized in the world†, this is quote from Josephine Baker, one of America’s early prominent black performers. Slavery, which will be discussed in greater detail, affected Africans kidnapped from their homeland and brought to the Americas to be sold and forced to work in horrible, vile, disgusting conditions. 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