African Americans and Cotton Fields - 1233 Words

When we think about slavery we perceive it to be African Americans working on a cotton field, but where did that perception come from and where did slavery begin in North America? Slavery has been one of the longest standing legal systems used throughout history. History shows that the first settlers in North America, both the Vikings and Native Americans, were the first cultures to practice slavery in the area. Slavery continued through early modern history, aiding in the discovery of North America by the Spaniards and British. Slavery was a fundamental asset in developing the new world economically and was seen as a key element in the expansion of America. Slavery maintained its economic importance until the 19th Century when it was abolished with the Emancipation Proclamation. Throughout history, slavery has been one of the longest standing legal systems in North America. Before the 1st century during Ancient Times, many Native American tribes practiced some form of slavery. This tribal slavery was dated before the European introduction of African American slaves and continued through the 19th century. Native Americans often enslaved captives from tribal feuds, or casualties from tribal wars. Captives were used for little labor, but were rather maintained for future exchange with other tribes as peace offerings or for redeeming their own tribal members from captors. Often captives were also held as slaves to redeem payment of a debt owed from other tribes. VariousShow MoreRelatedIntro to Nat Turner838 Words   |  4 Pagesof the cotton boom. The cotton growing was concentrated on plantations rather than the small farms. Around 75% of slaves lived in groups of around 10 or more slaves, which made changes in the African American slave communities and cultur e (lecture). With the slave communities developing, they were very unstable. Around 1 million slaves migrated from the upper to lower south, which split the communities and families apart. Since the slave communities were growing, Southern African American communitiesRead MoreSlavery Of The United States1528 Words   |  7 PagesSlavery in the United States The use of African American slaves began in the Mid-17th century. According to the U.S. Census of 1790, the United States had a population of 3.8 million people; from which 700,000 of them were slaves, that is 18 percent of the entire population. The state of Virginia had the largest population of slaves. Virginia alone had 300,000 slaves. In South Carolina, 43 percent of the entire population was slaves ( Zambelli). It all makes sense because in the year of 1790, theRead MoreHow Did African American Slavery Help Shape America?925 Words   |  4 PagesHow did African American slavery help shape America? The United States of America has historical events that underlie the primary example of a country which overcomes every adversity with courage and commitment. Several pieces of history can obviously emphasize the strength of those who inhabited this nation and shaped it into what it is today; one of which is the era of slavery. Slavery is a topic that is often rejected during the mentioning of historical events in America primarily due to the factRead MoreNo Dignity Was Present By Their Masters1639 Words   |  7 Pages and be assigned to their duties for the day. Most of the times was picking cotton from the cotton field, hauling hay and heavy farming items, picking crops from the field, and building machinery for the plantation. With these tasks came many physical and mental demands. For example, when a slave would pick cotton from the cotton field, there would be thorns on the cotton plant. The slaves would have to pick that cotton all day and dig around the thorns. At the end of the day, their hands would beRead MoreThe History of African Americans: Slavery Essay1649 Words   |  7 Pageshistory of African-Americans has been a paradox of incredible triumph in the face of tremendous human tragedy. African-American persons were shown much discrimination and were treated as second class citizens in the colonies during the development of the nation. The first set men, women, and children to work in the colonies were indentured servants, meaning they were only required to work for a set amount of years before they received their freedom. Then, in 1619 the first black Africans came toRead MoreSlavery And The Slave Labor Essay1410 Words   |  6 Pagescomparisons between free labor and slave labor in the south slave plantations were valued with low expectations considering the varying climate conditions, the nature of the crops and many other reasons. Why not Native Americans or the white indentured servants. The Native Americans caught many diseases from the Europeans. Those who survived usually ran away from captivity. The white indentured servants were under contract not to be held against their will. For the first half of the 1600’s the slaveRead MoreEssay on Slavery1136 Words   |  5 Pagestheir condition and worked unwillingly. Slavery was introduced among the early indentured servants were people who did not come to America willingly. The first Africans arrived in Virginia in 1619. For the next thirty years or so, Africans were generally treated like indentured servants from Europe. By 1651 there were about 300 Africans in Virginia’s population of 15000. By 1640 some black servants were forced to serve their indentures for life. Slaveholders were given increasing control as theRead MoreIndentured Servants And African Slaves881 Words   |  4 Pagesprior knowledge of these important topics were forgotten. The question I always asked myself what was the difference between indentured servants and African slaves? Through my personal studying on the subject matter, I have discovered new information that clarified all my misconceptions about historical topics like, indentured servants from Europe, African slavery, and finding the similarities and differences of these two types of labor. During the 1600s Europe was absorbed in the Thirty Year’s WarRead MoreEssay Slavery in the American South616 Words   |  3 PagesSlavery is a form of forced free labor in which one human being is the property of another. Close to two million slaves were brought to the American South from African and the West Indies during the Atlantic slave trade. The American South accounted for over 20% African Americans. As late as 1900, 9 out of every 10 African Americans lived in the South. Slavery supported the economic structure for the planter aristocracy. In 1850 only 1,773 families owned more than 100 slaves each, and this groupRead MoreThe Great Migration Through Different Mediums And Times Essay1334 Words   |  6 PagesDifferent Mediums and Times For African-Americans, the Great Migration of the early nineteen hundreds not only changed their demographic distribution in the United States, but also their culture and identity. When many poor field hands left the South, the culture they brought with them clashed with their new Northern neighbors. Since then, artists have depicted this inner and outer struggle through a variety of mediums while reflecting the attitudes of African Americans of their time. August Wilson