How Did African Slavery Expand So Rapidly In The Late 17th Century?
Professor Adams
HIS 312
June 23, 2014
Was Slavery a product of white racism or the desire to find a steady and reliable work force? Why did African slavery expand so rapidly in the late 17th century?
Over one-half of all the immigrants to the New World between 1500 and 1800 were Africans, virtually all of them sent to the Americas against their will. African society was portrayed as primitive and uncivilized. Africans were kept as slaves in Africa because of criminal behavior, unpaid debts, or from being captured in wars. Africans began to sell slaves as early as the eighth century to traders from the Mediterranean and later to the Portuguese. The African slave trade long preceded the European settlement in the New World (Text page 18.) Beginning of the sixteenth century, Africans and Europeans immigrated to the Americas. The search for economic growth led the migration of Europeans to the New World. The Mayflower sailed to Plymouth …show more content…
On Barbados and other islands where a flourishing sugar economy developed, the English planters were a tough, aggressive, and ambitious people. Since their livelihoods depended on their workforces, they expanded and solidified the system of African slavery there remarkably quickly. By the late seventeenth century, there were four times as many African slaves as there were white settlers (Text page 43.) In the North, slavery was considered to be impractical and cruel to mankind. Some considered it to be an act that goes against the bible, and inhumane. The Southerners on the other hand, were appalled at the fact of slaves being freed, and living equally with people they considered uncivilized. Many white southerners believed, in fact, that enslaving Africans-whom they considered inferior and unfit for
HIS 312
June 23, 2014
Was Slavery a product of white racism or the desire to find a steady and reliable work force? Why did African slavery expand so rapidly in the late 17th century?
Over one-half of all the immigrants to the New World between 1500 and 1800 were Africans, virtually all of them sent to the Americas against their will. African society was portrayed as primitive and uncivilized. Africans were kept as slaves in Africa because of criminal behavior, unpaid debts, or from being captured in wars. Africans began to sell slaves as early as the eighth century to traders from the Mediterranean and later to the Portuguese. The African slave trade long preceded the European settlement in the New World (Text page 18.) Beginning of the sixteenth century, Africans and Europeans immigrated to the Americas. The search for economic growth led the migration of Europeans to the New World. The Mayflower sailed to Plymouth …show more content…
On Barbados and other islands where a flourishing sugar economy developed, the English planters were a tough, aggressive, and ambitious people. Since their livelihoods depended on their workforces, they expanded and solidified the system of African slavery there remarkably quickly. By the late seventeenth century, there were four times as many African slaves as there were white settlers (Text page 43.) In the North, slavery was considered to be impractical and cruel to mankind. Some considered it to be an act that goes against the bible, and inhumane. The Southerners on the other hand, were appalled at the fact of slaves being freed, and living equally with people they considered uncivilized. Many white southerners believed, in fact, that enslaving Africans-whom they considered inferior and unfit for