american slavery essay

american slavery essay

American Slavery: A Dark Chapter in American History

1. Introduction

At the time when the United States were in their infancy, newly created and developing, slavery was a way of life. A major factor in this was the abundance of slave-grown crops such as tobacco and the profitability of the slave trade. In 1619, the first African slaves arrived in Jamestown, Virginia. From there, the institution of chattel slavery grew rapidly. By the time the United States gained its independence, it was an established fact, taking the Civil War to bring it to an end. During the war, 4 million slaves were freed, but some would say their ancestors are still dealing with the aftermath.

When evaluating the African American family, one must illustrate the effects of slavery. The integrity of the family unit was maintained during slavery, primarily because an “African” way of life was still possible. The African American family should be studied in terms of continuity, change, and its effects on the individual members. Also, W.E.B. Dubois became a significant sociologist when he studied the black communities in Philadelphia, Atlanta, and the Negro land of the Bid South. He revealed that the effects of The Great Migration were rather negative in terms of families. Though they were able to escape the brutally intense racism of the South, they lost the strong community bonds that they once had. This was to lead to a nuclearization of the family. The effects of migration were quite similar to the effects of slavery in that respect.

2. Origins of American Slavery

The institution of slavery in the United States was the natural outgrowth of the agricultural practices of the European settlers. The material conditions in the colonies, especially in the southern settlements, made slaves the most economical form of labor. Tobacco was very labor-intensive, and rice and indigo were not only so, but they were also staple crops in Southern colonies. As the staple crop economy developed, the demand for labor increased. Slavery was an economically sound solution to this problem. Besides pure economics, the people who were indigenous to the land were not suitable sources of labor. The Native Americans were susceptible to diseases borne by the Europeans and due to their lack of immunity and unfamiliarity with the diseases, they often died. African slave traders were very happy to provide a plentiful labor source. Sugar was a labor-intensive crop and required a great many field workers to cultivate and harvest the crop, while the refining process was just as arduous. And so, throughout the Caribbean, Spanish America, and Brazil, an associated demand for slaves to match the demand for sugar followed in lockstep. The sugar industry made New World slavery.

3. Life of Enslaved Africans

Enslaved Africans controlled significant parts of the geography and human landscape of the Americas. They and their descendants altered the contours of the American map, affecting the South more than any other region. Until the Civil War, more than half of all African Americans lived in the South. Only in the South did whites commit themselves to a slave labor system, one so severe and atypical that it brought four hundred thousand Africans to the region in the final years of the international slave trade (from 1820 to 1860). And only in the South was the population of African descent denied a variety of civil and human rights. But even in the South, African American life differed little from town to country to city. And by the Civil War, Africans and their descendants had helped start to bring the end of slavery elsewhere in the country.

4. Abolitionist Movement and Resistance

The abolitionist movement began to take shape in the 1780s, although the idea of abolishing slavery was controversial and dangerous. It was supported by some who believed it was in violation of Christian principles. There are two types of abolitionists: those who were immediate sought swift end to slavery and removal of blacks in the United States, and those who were gradualists and felt it would take time to phase out slavery and integrate blacks into society. Immediate abolitionists were few in number due to the unpopularity of the idea. Most abolitionists of the time were gradualists. Some immediate abolitionists were well known, such as William Lloyd Garrison, who published the first edition of The Liberator in 1831. This paper was dedicated solely to the abolition of slavery. In the same year, an anecdote states that Garrison was attacked by an angry mob and was saved only by being put in jail by the authorities who sought his safety. The Liberator had only a small following for a time, but by 1863 it had a following of 4000 and would become one of the most successful abolitionist periodicals. Other notable immediate abolitionists were David Walker, who published An Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World, and Sojourner Truth, a freed black slave who was an advocate for abolition and women’s rights. The Transcendentalists also played a role in the abolition movement, however their primary concern was not with slavery but with the individual. Their ideas were influential nonetheless and helped to create a climate of reform.

5. Legacy of American Slavery

Slavery in America has left an indelible mark on its culture, as well as on the current state of African-American society. The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, to secure equal rights for black people, was strongly influenced by the Civil War and the economic and social conditions of blacks in the South. The blacks’ desire to reunite the black family, which had been broken up by the slave trade, and black poverty are a legacy of slavery. More importantly, the most significant impact of slavery has been on the black race itself. Slavery was a system that stripped blacks of their African identity, and the effects are still being felt today. The traditional African identity of black Americans has been lost, and it has been difficult for them to piece together their fragmented heritage. Slavery also gave rise to the extreme racial prejudice, whose effects continue to be felt today. As well as being exploited for their labor, black people were considered to be genetically inferior and were denied basic human rights. Although the Civil Rights movement did much to change this, it is still common for African-Americans to face racial prejudice, and the legacy of slavery has left them with a low social status and economic position in the United States.