The history of slavery in the United States is a long and painful one, with countless atrocities committed both by slave owners and enslaved blacks. However, people often tend to forget about this part of U.S. history when discussing or writing about other topics that are more relevant to modern society such as racial discrimination, social justice, economics and politics.
In this article, we will be exploring the history of slavery in America, focusing specifically on the different types of slavery that existed within the country and how they were treated under the law during different periods.
What is Slavery?
Slavery is the status of being a person who is held in bondage, under the control of another person, usually a slave owner. Under slavery, the enslaved person is referred to or refers to themselves as a slave.
This condition can be passed on through offspring through what is called “bondage passing”. During slavery, slaves were considered property and were bought and sold, often at extremely low prices.
Slaves were usually treated brutally, and they were not allowed to practice many of their religions. Laws regarding slavery in many cases did not even allow slaves to have their names, as they were all referred to as “theirs,” and not “his” or “her” as one might refer to their possessions. Slaves were not allowed to marry or have children of their own and often were only treated as property.
Types of Slavery in America
There are many types of slavery in the United States, including plantation slavery, domestic slavery, and various types of apprenticeship. Though there are many types of slavery, all are based on the fact that one person takes control of the life of another, who is then referred to as a slave.
— Plantation Slavery – Plantation slavery is the most widely known type of slavery in the United States. During this period, slaves were used mainly to work on plantations and grow food to support the country. Slaves on plantations were usually very heavily worked and were treated brutally.
— Domestic Slavery – Another type of slavery in America was domestic or household slavery. During this period, one person might have owned another as a slave to work in the home. These slaves were usually treated much better than plantation slaves as they were not usually worked as hard.
Owners of domestic slaves were usually poor and needed help, so it was more of a financial arrangement than someone who would own someone to be a slave.
— Apprenticeship – A final type of slavery in America was the apprenticeship type. During this period, one person might have needed someone else to work for them as an apprentice. These apprentices were usually treated much better than domestic slaves as they were usually skilled workers, but they still were the property of the person who owned them.
Early History of Slavery in the U.S.
When examining the history of slavery in America, it is important to understand how it came to be in the country. The transatlantic slave trade, which was the practice of buying, selling, transporting and owning slaves, began around the year 1000 and lasted until 1867 when the British West Indian Act was passed.
The practice of slavery was not only practiced in Europe but in the Americas as well. When the Europeans began to settle in the Americas, they brought with them a form of slavery known as indigenous slavery, which was practiced by people who were already living in the Americas before European colonists arrived.
When the Spanish and the French began to colonize the Americas, they brought with them their type of slavery known as plantation slavery. Under indigenous slavery, people were held as slaves by their tribes, but under plantation slavery, people were held as slaves by their masters.
Mid-19th Century to Emancipation
As the United States began to grow as a nation, there was a strong demand for cotton, which was a major crop. Many southern states, which were southern states that were the primary cotton-growing areas in the U.S., began using slaves to grow the cotton.
As the cotton industry became more important, so did the use of slaves to produce it. The country was divided into many states, each with its laws, and slavery was legal in every state. The practice of holding people as slaves was common and even encouraged in many states. Slavery was so common that many people did not even see it as a big deal, as it was just a normal part of life for many.
Post-Emancipation to Present Day
Slavery in the United States ended after the Civil War. When the war began, many slaves escaped to the North where they were free and were treated kindly by Northerners.
However, as the war went on, many of the slaves who escaped to the North were recaptured as Union soldiers found them and brought them back to the South. When the war ended, the South was left without its slaves, but many slaves had escaped and had been living in the North.
This created a huge problem as the North wanted to end slavery but did not want to bring back the runaway slaves. Some Northerners proposed creating a country of separate states that would have black people as citizens, but the North wanted slavery to end so they rejected this idea. Other northern congressmen proposed a bill to end slavery in the District of Columbia, but this was also rejected.
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