what is slavery essay

what is slavery essay

The Impact of Slavery on Society

1. Introduction to Slavery

From 1619 to 1865, American society passed through distinctive phases which can be identified as the development of what would become a nation divided by race. This division would result in a civil war that disrupted the nation and abolished the institution of slavery. A realistic date for race relations to return to pre-civil war status is not until the 1960s, and this is the starting point of African-American social and economic recovery. The reason for the enduring presence of racial distinction is related to the stigmatic implications and general information that can be gathered about race relations and slavery between the years of 1619 and 1960. The American economy is still fueled by the exploitation and containment of the African American underclass, and the gap between white and black America is still vast. The core of these contemporary race problems derives from the past. The influence of slavery on the South caused a disruption between economic and social progression with the North. The South was mainly agricultural and it relied on the black workforce to fuel its economic progression. In contrast to the North, it was found to be developing at a faster pace and was industrializing. Essentially, separating the Civil War into two distinct battles, it can be said that the unsuccessful attempt of the South’s succession was a battle for the unification of America and a rebel against ending their economic legacy, slavery. The lasting impact of social and economic retardation of the South still hinders American national unity, and it can be said that it is still to this day, that the Confederate flag is a contentious issue as a symbol of heritage and pride for white southerners.

This essay focuses on the influence of slavery on the development of American society from 1619 to 1865. It will be argued that the impact of the years of slavery is still recognized within the current race relations. The institution of slavery has had a profound impact on American history and the impact of slavery is still seen in race relations, the economic status of the African-American community, and the unity of the American nation.

2. Historical Background of Slavery

During the Age of Discovery, which lasted roughly from the beginning of the 15th century until the end of the 17th century, Western Europe sought to expand its reign and with it bring their civilizations and religions. Some were enslaved as a result of being on land that was taken over by an adversary. But with the discovery of the New World, a new age was ushered in that would become pivotal to the course of future generations. Africans, around the world, whether by force or necessity, were enslaved and taken to the New World. And for the next 300 years, at least 10 million black Africans were enslaved.

The origins of slavery can be said to have several connotations. From a biblical slant, the offspring of Noah, cursed by their father, were given the mark of Cain and condemned to eternal bondage. From a moral standpoint, some were enslaved as a form of punishment for wrongdoing and never were released. In ancient times, prisoners captured in war were commonly reduced to the status of slaves. The conquests of the Roman Empire and the resulting spread of the Roman civilization led to a commercialized slave trade. With the collapse of the Roman Empire, it was in Western Europe and the Christian church that disapproval of slavery was first established. From the 11th century onwards, increasing decrees against the enslavement of Christians were proclaimed, and the redemption of Christian captives was urged as a suitable form of crusading activity.

3. Consequences of Slavery

The economic effects of slavery can still be seen today. The value of the South’s investment in slaves was enormous. In terms of capital investment, the market value of slaves was larger than that of any other form of personal investment except land and buildings. Slaves represented the largest single investment in personal property in American history. Slaves, as property, were used as collateral for loans. They were the asset that made the southern agricultural economy work, and the wealth that was either directly or indirectly produced by slaves was enormous. However, while the amount of wealth seen in the South was impressive, it was an inefficient and unsustainable sort of growth. Due to the reliance on slave agriculture and farming for the majority of wealth, the South would not see the same sort of revolutionary growth that the North was to see during the Industrial Revolution. And since money was spent on slaves and not on other means of investment or production, there remained a consistent problem of capital shortage. The South would remain an agricultural economy up until the Civil War and would continue to feel the effects of the lack of capital that was invested in the slave economy. Although the demand by the Confederate army during the Civil War had temporarily increased the production of goods using wage labor and mixed capital, the slave society had no time to develop into a production-based economy. This economic need for slave labor hindered the possibility of wage labor for both white and black people and caused a great divide in the economic classes between slave and non-slave blacks.

Slavery had a huge impact on all aspects of southern life. The effects of slavery were both immediate and lasting, the most obvious of which was the division of southern society and its negative effect on the southern economy. Slavery also caused lasting effects on the social and political life of the South. Slavery caused a great divide in the wealth and status of southern whites. Many southern whites were small farmers, and the large planters’ ability to buy up the most land and slaves caused small farmers to move westward into less plantation-dominated states. This divide in wealth ultimately led to a great animosity of lower and middle-class southern whites towards the plantation owners, and as history showed with the Civil War, the lower-class southern whites in non-slaveholding states. Another cleavage in southern society was that of the white and black race. Racist attitudes that supported the idea of blacks as inherently inferior to whites were triggered by southerners’ need to justify slavery. These attitudes, as well as the differences in wealth between whites, were to last until the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and still plague southern society today.

4. Abolition Movements and Resistance

In 1820, the king of Spanish yaws issued a royal proclamation, which declared the slave trade to Spanish colonies illegal. It was a result of the rebellion of the slaves which had been a continual problem for the Spaniards. A similar story emerged in Brazil, where in the same year, the Prince Regent passed a law which prohibited the removal of slaves from Portugal and declared that all children born to slaves after that date would be free. In France, there was a revolution by the black slaves in the French-controlled part of the Caribbean, which caused a declaration of general freedom to slaves by the Jacobin-led government there. Actually, abolition did not come in the French colonies until a second British intervention.

In 1807, the British Parliament passed an Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, which banned the carrying of slaves in British ships. The Royal Navy established the West Africa Squadron to suppress the Atlantic slave trade by patrolling the coast of West Africa, and between 1808 and 1860 they seized approximately 1,600 slave ships and freed 150,000 Africans who were aboard. The US Congress also prohibited the African slave trade effective January 1, 1808, which was the earliest date allowed by the United States Constitution.

The British became the first European power to abolish the slave trade and slavery itself. A continuous campaign to achieve these objectives was not begun by any other European country at any one time throughout the history of slavery. The abolition movement and resistance by the slaves served to bring an end to slavery, the most damaging and humiliating form of racism. It was to create an irreparable break between the new world and the old.

5. Legacy of Slavery in Modern Society

The interaction between the races is fraught with tension, especially in the United States. A large portion of the culture of the United States, which is a global influencer, is based on the legacy of slavery. From the antebellum images of a plantation south to the modern disparity between rich whites and poor blacks, the history of America has been shaped by the institution of slavery. This cultural situation has led to negative stereotypes for people of African descent. Because of the common knowledge that the ancestors of those people were slaves, it is often thought that African Americans are lazy or are in some other way inferior to white people. The situation is similar for other people of African descent outside of America. This has created a situation where people of African descent are often at a disadvantage when compared to white people. This has solidified the legacy of slavery as a dark period in the history of those affected, as the effects are still felt in the vulnerability of their race to negative stereotypes and media portrayals.

One of the major factors in describing the lasting impact of slavery on modern society is a unique cultural analysis. The varying cultures in the Americas today are a result of the mixing of the numerous ethnicities that were brought to the Americas as slaves. The various mixtures have created a very unique set of cultures that are exclusive to the Americas. The struggle between those who were oppressed and those who were the oppressors has created a very tense and divided set of race relations.