How Did Racism Precede Slavery

ESSAY
There have been debates among scholars over whether racism preceded slavery or vice versa. Present an argument on this question using course materials (lectures, readings, film)
While some argue that racism preceded slavery, I firmly believe that racism did not precede slavery. Before examining the reasons behind my opinion, it is important to note how race feeds into racism, and how slavery then latches on to racism. Race is a socially constructed idea through which a hierarchy largely stemming from the fairness of skin color is formed. As a result, different racial groups are formed with the White race occupying the top position of this hierarchy. Because of this skin-color based hierarchy, White people developed a sense of superiority
After failing with indentured servitude, White settlers imported Africans in pursuit of maximizing productivity and consequently receiving higher profits. As we discussed in class, planters in Virginia were aware of the rewards they could reap by enslaving Africans. Unlike the indentured servants contracts that limited the duration of work summoned by White settlers, enslaving Africans meant that planters could put no limits on the amount of work and time they ordered of them. Therefore, the more work you assign to slaves for much longer periods, the more productivity you get, and the more money your plantation gets you. On top of this though, planters also wanted more slaves to increase the supply of money they ultimately received. Accordingly, “state laws adopted the principle of partus sequitur ventrem- the child follows the condition of the mother regardless of the race of the father.” (Cannon, 1993, p.415) Thanks to this law, enslaved mothers gave birth to enslaved children who went on to become extra pairs of hands on plantations. In the case of children being enslaved because of their enslaved mothers, racism once again does not precede slavery. Since child enslavement holds “regardless of the race of the father”, (Cannon, 1993, p.415) it is the mother’s status as a slave and not race that precedes and assigns the same title to her children. White settlers wanted
As more Africans were imported for enslavement purposes, the White elites’ fears exacerbated. Even though African enslavement was the principal answer to increased wealth for White planters, indentured servitude was not extinct. Friendships between Africans and lower-class Whites existed, and the White elites were concerned these alliances would undermine their summoning powers and provoke a class insurrection. It was at this juncture in 1660 that racialized slavery in Virginia (Week 3 powerpoint, “slavery-1”, slide 7), a product of components in the system, was only specific to the Africans. Not only did racialized slavery prevent a class conflict between Whites, but also brought racism to the fore. As a system component in this case, racism is a perception of superiority and dominance from the White elites’ to the Africans. Hence, racialized slavery again supports my view since it was the enslavement of Africans and their interactions with lower-class Whites that preceded and incited