Relationship Between Europeans And African Americans

The Lower Mississippian Valley underwent a dramatic change over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries. Land that was once only inhabited by Native Americans began opening its doors to European explorers and traders. The Europeans brought along with them African slaves. The relationship between these three groups, the Native Americans, Europeans, and African slaves completely changed the demographics and culture of the area and created a lively trading system that provided supplies throughout a large region. The European empires of England, Spain, and France all had colonies in the New World and all sought to get the upper hand on each other, this led to native people being used as pawns in practically proxy wars for the European powers.
Not only were they the driving force of the southern plantation, some slaves were even allowed to produce some of their own produce to consume, or even sell in some circumstances. Some of the crops that they grew were tobacco, and indigo. Slave owners typically didn’t mind letting slaves tend their own crops, some slave owners felt that if they were spending their free time growing plants for personal use, then they aren’t conspiring to flee, or cause trouble. African Slaves became strong traders in Louisiana, many slaves were sent from their plantations to sell goods on their owner’s behalf. They would go to towns such as New Orleans, and mobile to sell meats, vegetables, and milk. They even sold whatever they could get their hands on to make some money independently from their owner’s. The government did intervene and began requiring slaves to carry permits from their owners when they were sent off to sell for them. The reason that slaves trading for owners wasn’t outright banned was because many people depended on this trade. This form of trading had many advantages at the time. It minimized slave hardship, death, rebellion. And also provided the community with a wide variety of foods, and it provided the slaves with a taste of independence, sense they got to work separately but still for their
Slaves would use this for personal consumption, or they would sell them for their owner’s. In the early 18th century live stock trading began taking place. French colonists, with the help of Native American villagers, began moving horses and cattle eastward. Slaves participated in the livestock trade by being drovers, herders, and dairy producers. As trading for owners, hunting and fishing provided slaves with greater freedom of movement. The livestock trade provided the same, it allowed the slaves to drive cattle across land instead of being subjected to working the same field day in and day