Origins of American Slavery

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 existence by any one singular variable. It is a combination of attitudes and circumstance. Specifically, a preexisting discrimination of darker skinned people by the British and colonists led to the foundation and inconsistent growth of slavery, while the economic factors caused for its widespread acceptance. For instance, there are many more cases of blacks being treated as slaves before the legal status of slave came into existence than there are of whites. In Degler’s article Genesis of American Race Paradox, he argues that racial discrimination was present from the beginning and that the institution of slavery was just the law catching up with the practice (Degler). This essay agrees with and will use many of the points he makes to argue how a predetermined attitude to the Africans created the basis of slavery, but will stop short of saying that is the sole determinant. The English have a history of ethnocentrism. This can be seen in the associations of the words white and black. White symbolizes virginity, purity, cleanliness, goodness, etc. Contrastingly, the color black is associated with death, evil, filth, and violence. The English also had a history of prejudice against another darker skinned people, the Native Americans whom they either tried to enslave or fought battles against. The blacks arrived on the shores of America with no set status. They could have been afforded the same treatment as white servants, it “depended upon the reaction of those who received the negroes” (Degler). Had the colonists not harbored any feelings of superiority to the blacks, there would not have been such a difference in the treatment of white servants versus blacks. However, there are many cases that suggest the English did see the Africans as inferior. For example, the English settlers in the West Indies had already set a precedent for colonists to follow by treating the blacks differently than the other white servants. There were cases of trying to maintain a maximum number of Africans, and not allowing them to carry weapons or tools out of fear (Degler). African women were forced to work in the field, while white women were not expected to carry out such tasks (Degler). In 1640 there were two cases involving runaways that clearly illustrate how African servants were treated differently than white servants. The first three runaways were caught; two white and one black name John Punch. They each received 30 lashes and the white men had their terms extended a year and also had to work for the colony for three more. Punch however, was punished by serving his master for the duration of his life, effectively enslaving him (Degler). Clearly, Punch was punished much more severely because he was black and did not have the same rights in the eyes of his master. In the second instance, six whites and one black ran away and were caught. It was documented that one white got the harshest punishment consisting of 30 stripes, a branding of the letter R, was shackled, and received an additional seven years added to his term. The only other runaway to receive such a punishment was the black, but he did not have the seven years. This is because he was already serving for life and adding more years would accomplish nothing (Degler). Finally, another telling sign that the blacks were already being enslaved were the inventory records from the early 1600’s. 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 blacks 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 blacks however, did not come over voluntarily, so the masters did not need change how they treated them because it did not affect the amount of blacks coming to the colonies (Handlin). This however is another example of how blacks were discriminated against. Whereas, whites voluntarily chose this work, blacks were forced into it because they were viewed as inferior. While the white servant’s status was improving, the black’s remained stagnant, widening the already existing gap between the two races. This gap led to a domino effect where the whites were afforded more freedoms and the blacks were denied these same rights in order to keep them separate (Handlin), essentially dehumanizing the Africans to the point where they could be completely enslaved. The Handlins however, do not address the fact that the blacks became the more profitable labor source because they were already getting basic rights stripped from them. Had they been given the choice to come on their own free will, like the Irish who the British also viewed as inferior, or if they truly possessed the same amount of “unfreedom” as the whites, the masters would have had to improve their conditions to secure their labor as well. The combination of the Africans being viewed as inferior, and the initial demand of labor needed due to the tobacco revolution, led to a more widespread belief that the Africans were not the same as whites. As more and more people treated blacks as lesser people, the blacks became the cheapest source of labor. They became property; an asset with a useful life for as long as they lived, that would provide more assets. Africans became the only source of labor that would allow businesses to remain competitive. Finally, there is the Morgan study. Morgan makes a more complex argument, acknowledging both discriminatory and economic reasons, but overall attributes it mostly to class. One of the points he makes is that the mindset at the time was an aversion to idleness. They did not like the idea of young, single, firearm wielding, men roaming the country not making a fair living or owning property. The attitude was that people who could not independently make a living should be put to work (Morgan). This was used as an argument for why blacks remained enslaved. It was believed if they were freed they would become idle and wreak havoc on honest settlers. This can be viewed as another way as Africans being viewed as inferior. It was unfathomable for the colonists to think that the blacks could provide for themselves if given the opportunity because they were not as smart or as capable as whites. Morgan makes his class argument by saying that the upper-class was frightened after Bacon’s Rebellion. They were afraid of the poor freedmen so they took measures to prevent them from becoming free. This eventually became directed towards Africans because they came here already enslaved and “put an end to the process of Africans becoming Englishmen” (Morgan). Morgan claims that this string of events was caused by class differences, specifically the upper class fearing a revolting lower class. While there is merit to this it can also be viewed as another way Africans were discriminated against. There were plenty of white freedmen to be concerned about, but they chose to strip the blacks of possible freedom. In conclusion, the English predisposition to treat blacks as inferior led to a mindset that blacks were different and therefore led to the earliest stages of slavery emerging in the colonies. Further, the tobacco revolution and demand for labor caused an ever widening gap between white and black servants, to the point where blacks became dehumanized. This led to them being viewed as property and assets, and the only usable source of labor to stay competitive. The English viewed themselves as superior to the rest of the world; those who were most different from them were the most inferior. It was this mindset that allowed that was the basis for the institution of slavery to begin. It was not an expedient or uniform enslavement, but it laid the groundwork so that when the right set of factors occurred, there was no other rational decision other than enslavement of the Africans.