Overview
This lecture covers the causes and effects of slavery in the British North American colonies, including its regional differences, legal developments, and resistance by enslaved Africans.
Causes of Slavery in British Colonies
- The Atlantic slave trade transported about 3 million Africans to British colonies in North America and the Caribbean.
- Increased demand for agricultural goods and a shortage of indentured servants drove demand for enslaved African labor.
- Events like Bacon's Rebellion (1676) made colonial elites distrustful of indentured servants, shifting reliance to African slavery.
Regional Differences in Slavery
- New England: Small farms with relatively few enslaved Africans; some worked as household servants and craftsmen.
- Middle Colonies: Enslaved people often worked in urban jobs (e.g., dockworkers, blacksmiths) and as household servants.
- Chesapeake & Southern Colonies: Large plantations required many enslaved laborers for agriculture.
- British West Indies: The highest concentration of enslaved Africans worked on plantations.
Chattel Slavery and Slave Laws
- Slavery in the colonies became race-based and perpetual, known as chattel slavery (enslaved people were considered property).
- Harsh slave laws were modeled after practices in the British West Indies, especially Barbados.
- Virginia laws defined Africans as chattel, made slavery inheritable, permitted owners to kill enslaved people for disobedience, banned black people from possessing weapons, and forbade leaving plantations without permission.
- Laws firmly divided white and black populations and made interracial relationships illegal.
Enslaved Resistance
- Enslaved Africans resisted both covertly (preserving culture, religion, language, breaking tools) and openly (rebellions).
- The Stono Rebellion (1739) in South Carolina was a significant example of violent resistance, though it was ultimately suppressed.
- Acts of resistance challenged slave owners' self-justification of slavery as benevolent.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Atlantic Slave Trade — Transportation of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas.
- Middle Passage — Deadly voyage across the Atlantic for enslaved Africans.
- Indentured Servants — Europeans working for a fixed period in exchange for passage to America.
- Chattel Slavery — Slavery where people are treated as property, inheritable by future generations.
- Bacon's Rebellion — 1676 uprising that influenced a shift from indentured servitude to African slavery.
- Stono Rebellion — 1739 slave uprising in South Carolina.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Download and review the "APUSH view packet" for further study of Unit 2, Topic 6.