The Pros And Cons Of Slavery

Indentured servants, were by all accounts, the main source of labor in the seventeenth century. The labor force was mainly needed for the newly discovery of the cash crop that was tobacco. It was a plant that need a lot of man power to be harvested and transported to port to be shipped back to England. “At first they turned to their overpopulated country for labor, but English indentured servants brought with them the same haphazard habits of work as their masters.” Indentured service being described as haphazard is an understatement; uprising.

Development of Slavery 1607-1750 From the time frame of 1607 to 1750, the development of slavery changed in many ways. Slavery, in the British colonies, changed drastically because of economics, social connotations, and geography. Economically, slavery fulfilled the need for different cash crops such as tobacco in the south, and rice in the Carolinas. Before the late 1670’s, indentured servants were relied on to carry out the labor needed to produce cash crops.

When talking about the constitution in today’s world I don’t think anyone would disagree about the constitution being an anti-slavery document. The 13th amendment abolishes slavery and any form of service that isn’t voluntary. But at the time of the writing of the constitution I think there would be a strong argument for why the constitution was a pro-slavery document. The north and the south had different views on slavery, but they also agreed on some things. When talking about the slaves they had a big role in the constitution.

Land of the free and home of the brave. America is a country that is known for its freedom worldwide. Many abandoned their own country in order to try and live a perfect life in America, where they will not be discriminated against no matter what nationality, sex or religion an individual is. America was not always this promising to minorities mid 1800’s. America had huge faults such as slavery which later was one of the reasons the north and south separated and went to war with each other.

Slaves played a huge role in the early American colonies because “communities were designed around slavery”. Slaves were commonly seen and worked throughout all colonies but were heavily used in the South. The Southern slaves were “forced to work under harsh conditions for long hours”. The majority of the men worked on plantations doing manual labor and the often times women were house servants. Their punishments could included being beaten, starved, tortured and or killed.

The institution of slavery almost instantly developed between 1607 and 1750 because the source of labor shifted its roots from indentured servants from Europe to slaves from Africa was founded on a religious base with the objective of converting more people to Christianity and slaves were easily seen as property. Slavery expanded and developed between 1608 and 1750 because the source of labor changed from indentured servants to cheap and reliable slaves. Indentured servants many white and European began to realize the unjustified system of labor in the colonies so they began to revolt against their masters. (Document 5) Plantation owners were upset with servants who thought dependently so they switched to a different source of labor, slaves mostly from Africa, in hopes of enforcing more restrictions and buying slaves for cheap. Evidently, this thinking became popular among plantation owners because eventually, the system of slavery overtook the indentured servants.

Black southerners were no longer considered slaves, but they were not yet free. Peonage was also known as debt slavery or debt servitude. The employer, or master, would compel the worker to pay off their debt by strict labor. In countless cases, employers would say African Americans had debt just to get them to work even though they may not have had any. They were so desperate for work, they lied and found any route to get more black labourers.

The 13th Amendment The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, unless if it is punishment for committing a crime. The Amendment was passed on January 31, 1865. This Amendment has changed not only the lives of the slaves, or the slave owners, but the people of their future; the people of today’s society. The 13th amendment not only stopped slavery, but started a new type of slavery; the slavery of education.

In 1607, the first wave of colonial settlers arrived in Virginia and began to establish Jamestown. Many of the new settlers came from wealthy families never performing a day of manual labor. With agricultural farming, being the revenue source of the new colonial settlers there would soon be a great demand for labor. Contracts of indentures were expiring and with much devastation in England, there was a shortage of English servants.

In the early 17th century, colonists in North America turned to slaves as an inexpensive and abundant work force. Because slaves aided in the production of lucrative crops such as cotton, slaves became important to the economic foundation of America. Yet by the 1790s, slavery was in decline due to land exhaustion and the coming of the Second Great Awakening. From 1775 to 1830, many African Americans were emancipated, yet during this same time period the institution of slavery expanded hugely. This seemingly paradoxical trend occurred predominantly as a result of differences in two geographic regions.

The treatment of slaves between the North and the South was drastically different. Slaves in the North typically lived in the same house as their master and worked by themselves, or in small groups (pg. 94). Slaves in the South tended to live in large plantations in which they were housed in plantation outbuildings (pg. 104). The difference between the North and the South in housing and working environment had a direct effect on the integration of African Americans into their new American society. When they were housed in the North with their masters and had limited exposure to other slaves, they tended to adopt the ways of their masters.

In the eyes of the law, slaves were considered property, rather than a person. The 3/5ths compromise of 1787 made this evident when Congress announced that slaves would only count as 3/5ths of a person. As slaves were property, they couldn’t earn their own living, vote, or go wherever they wanted. A few slaves tried to escape their bondage and run away. There were a few unsuccessful revolts, which usually was punishable by torture or death.

To start with, slavery was growing at a rapid rate. New laws made it legal for owners to own enslaved people for their entire lives. They had little or no chance for freedom. Slaves were legally considered property, not people. Slaves were also restricted by a set of laws called Slave Codes; these laws were their rights and rules for living.

Unknown to many people is that even after the Civil War and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments had been established slavery was still going on. The information is just one of the many things that has been covered-up throughout history. Before the Civil War started slavery was going on, after the Civil War ended the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, the 14th Amendment stated that all free people were citizens, and the 15th Amendment said all black men could vote. A little time after the Civil War and the 13th-15th Amendments new crimes, convict leasing, and peonage were established.

Tensions rose across the country from those in support support of slavery and those opposed. Many states wanted to outlaw slavery while others adamantly defended it because it was the main institution with a high and consistent revenue. Ultimately, the disagreements over slavery are what lead to the Civil War. The country divided into an “Us versus Them” situation which lead to both sides having growing support for their views and making the groups less susceptible to an agreement. In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which freed slaves from confederate states.