Race and Slavery in the Atlantic World Flashcards
Slavery in Africa
-Enslaved people were :
prisoners of war
convicted felons
people sold to repay a debt
-Usually worked as household servants, soldiers, artisans
-Enslaved people had some rights (marriage, families)
-NOT permanent or hereditary
Olaudah Equiano
He is best known for his autobiography, “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,” published in 1789, which detailed his experiences as a slave, his journey to freedom, and his advocacy for the end of the slave trade. His narrative played a significant role in raising awareness about the brutal realities of slavery and contributed to the growing abolitionist sentiment in Britain, influencing public opinion and policy in the fight against the transatlantic slave trade. Equiano’s life and work remain important in the history of both African and African diasporic literature and the broader struggle for human rights.
Madlena de Popo
-African woman who wrote a letter to Queen of Denmark, writing a petition to say we should have religious freedom
Indentured servitude
-Europeans could “indenture” themselves for a period of years to a master in exchange for passage on a ship
-Indentured servants often served periods of 4-7 years; but their indentures were often extended
-Many overworked & underfed; treated as movable property
Anthony Johnson from Angola (timeline)
1621: Arrived as a slave in Virginia
1640s: purchased 250 acres in Virginia
1653: tax relief for a fire
Purchased enslaved people
Why did slavery replace indentured servitude?
1.Frustration with indentured servants
2.Decreasing supply of indentured servants
3.Increasing supply of African slaves
4.Imperial policy
Justifying Slavery
17th c: Religious justifications
-“Christians” could enslave “heathens”
18th c.: Racial justifications
-“Whites” could enslave “blacks”
research:
In the 17th century, the justification for slavery often had religious undertones, with some Europeans believing that “Christians” were entitled to enslave “heathens,” or non-Christians. This rationale was used to legitimize the enslavement of Indigenous peoples and Africans, framing it as a means of converting them to Christianity while simultaneously asserting European superiority.
By the 18th century, justifications for slavery shifted towards racial explanations, where the concept of race became a critical factor. It was commonly argued that “whites” had the right to enslave “blacks,” promoting a belief in the inherent superiority of white Europeans over people of African descent. This transition to racial justifications not only entrenched slavery in legal and economic systems but also laid the groundwork for enduring racial stereotypes and discrimination that would persist long after the abolition of slavery.
Virginia’s Slave Laws
1662: “Whereas some doubts have arisen whether children got by any Englishman upon a Negro woman should be slave or free, be it therefore enacted and declared by this present Grand Assembly, all children born in this country shall be held bond or free only according to the condition of the mother.”
1667: “the conferring of baptism does not alter condition of the person as to his bondage or freedom…”
1705: “All servants imported and brought into the Country…who were not Christians in their native Country…shall be accounted and be slaves. All Negro, mulatto and Indian slaves within this dominion…shall be held to be real estate.”
Scientific Racism
-After 1700, European scientists divide humans into biological “races”
-They argued that some “races” were superior to others
-Racist “science” helped to justify slavery in the 18th and 19th centuries
