Berkowitz Crisis & Change 2005-06

Questions for

Ira Berlin, “Time, Space, and the Evolution of Afro-American Society on British Mainland North America”

  1. How does Berlin begin his essay? What about the recent historiography on slavery does Berlin find valuable? What does he think are its limits? Consequently, what intervention in the historiography of slavery is he making?
  2. What’s the thesis of the essay?
  3. What are the 3 distinct slave systems that evolved? What did the development of these societies depend on? What are the general consequences of the development of these different slave systems?
  4. Characterize the experience for blacks in the Middle Colonies and New England: over time, how did their place of origin change? What impact did this change have? What types of economic activities were blacks engaged in and how did this change over time? Specifically, what was slavery like in New York City? What were the consequences of the black experience in the North for the development of their collective identity and society?
  5. What was “Negro Election Day?” What does its celebration tell us about the black experience and black political awareness?
  6. Characterize the experience for blacks in the Carolina and Georgia lowcountry: where did blacks who ended up there come from? What impact did this have? What kind of work were they engaged in? Did this change over time? How was the experience of urban blacks in this region different from that of rural blacks? What were the consequences of the experience blacks had in the Carolina and Georgia lowcountry for the development of their collective identity and society?
  7. What impact did the task system have on Carolina and Georgia lowcountry slaves? What does it suggst about the character of slavery?
  8. How was the development of slavery in the Chesapeake different than either the North or the colonies farther to the south? Where did the Chesapeake blacks come from? Did this change over time? What kind of labor were they engaged in? Did this change over time? What were the consequences of the black experience in the Chesapeake for the development of their collective identity and society?
  9. What does the experience of the “free negro” in the Chesapeake suggest about the character of race relations and slavery in the Chesapeake?
  10. What role did the black family play in the Chesapeake?
  11. What does the last paragraph of Berlin’s essay mean? What’s the historiographical importance of the assertion he’s making?