Overview
This lecture covers the causes, regional variations, laws, and resistance related to slavery in the British colonies of North America during Unit 2 of AP US History.
Causes and Growth of Slavery
- The Atlantic slave trade brought about 3 million Africans to British America and the Caribbean.
- High colonial demand for agricultural goods and a shortage of indentured servants increased demand for enslaved labor.
- Bacon’s Rebellion (1676) led elites to rely more on African slavery to prevent united uprisings.
Regional Distribution of Enslaved People
- New England had small farms and fewer enslaved people.
- Middle colonies’ enslaved people often worked as household servants or in ports and trades.
- Chesapeake and Southern colonies relied heavily on enslaved labor for plantations.
- The British West Indies had the largest enslaved populations and harshest labor conditions.
Laws and Nature of Chattel Slavery
- Chattel slavery defined enslaved Africans as property, not people.
- Harsh slave codes, influenced by the West Indies (Barbados), were enacted in Virginia and elsewhere.
- Enslavement was hereditary and perpetual, increasing oppression over time.
- Laws forbade enslaved people from carrying weapons, leaving plantations, or engaging in interracial relationships.
- Slave owners had legal rights to use extreme violence to enforce control.
Enslaved People’s Resistance
- Enslaved Africans resisted through covert means: preserving culture, language, religion, and slowing work or sabotaging crops.
- Overt resistance included organized revolts, the most notable being the Stono Rebellion (1739) in South Carolina.
- The Stono Rebellion involved armed resistance and significant violence before being suppressed.
- Rebellions disproved plantation owners’ claims of benevolence and showed enslaved people actively resisted their oppression.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Atlantic Slave Trade — The forced transport of Africans to the Americas for labor.
- Indentured Servant — A laborer bound by contract to work for a set period.
- Chattel Slavery — A system where people are treated as property to be bought, sold, and inherited.
- Slave Codes — Laws that controlled every aspect of enslaved people’s lives.
- Stono Rebellion — A 1739 slave uprising in South Carolina.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Download and review the APUSH Unit 2 Topic 6 packet for further study.