Slavery existed in United States from early 17th century until the year 1865, playing a central role in United States history. Slavery was common in all English mainland colonies and dominated agricultural production in United States from south Maryland. Slavery was in fact so common and widely accepted in United States that 8 out of the first 12 United States presidents were slave owners. Debate over the institution of slavery continued to play a dominating role in American politics and eventually led to the American Civil War, which put an end to slavery. Historically, slavery has taken different forms in different places across the world. Slaves served in diverse capacities as servants, concubines, craft workers, warriors, and tutors. In United States though, the emergence of slavery mainly dealt with forced labor for staple crop production. Cotton and tobacco were the most important staple crops supported by slavery. This form of modern Western slavery was distinctly different from slavery of the olden days in the sense that the overwhelming majority of slaves were either black Africans or their descendants, while their masters were mostly white Europeans or their descendants("Slavery in," n.d.).
During the colonial period white American opposition to slavery was almost nonexistent. 17th and early 18th century settlers were from societies in which the rich savagely exploited the lower classes. Atlantic slave trade growth on the other hand was governed by New World export expansion to Europe. This was especially true when we talk about plantation crops like sugar, coffee, and tobacco. Plantation crops export from the United States, and European manufactured goods export to the United States helped finance and played a key role in European economy reconstruction. Added to this, it helped Europe develop and accentuate the role of Atlantic seaboard, and most importantly the importance of port-cities like Bordeaux, Nantes, Bristol, and Liverpool. In Barbados, Antigua, Nevis, and Montserrat British established their lasting colonies (Black, 2006). Until 1960s, these colonies generated wealth and did not just merely act as adjunct to possessions of Britain in North America. After 1660s, the colonies began attracting more settlers than what North American mainland possessions could afford. Rapidly spreading English settlements meant that more opportunities were constantly getting created. White workers were often difficult to retain and with Native Americans getting hit by European diseases, slaves were being looked upon as a relatively more controllable labor force.
Families were the first refuge of slaves, and religion was the second. African slaves typically followed their native religions, and many slave owners did not attempt to control this. In fact slave owners were wary of others who looked to convert their slaves to Christianity, mainly because they feared that they might have to free converted slaves. After the American Revolution however, Christianity increasingly became the center of slaves’ cultural lives. For many slaves in general, religion became the source of great comfort in a very hostile world ("Slavery in," n.d.). Families and religion assisted slaves in restricting their owners from gaining total control. Slaves also regularly challenged that control directly by means of active resistance. The ability of slaves to resist however was limited for slaves in United States had to face a power balance that greatly discouraged armed resistance. Whenever slave resistance occurred, it was quickly suppressed and followed up by severe punishment so as to discourage future rebellion.
Planned slave rebellions on numerous instances were nipped in the bud before outbreaks of violence actually took place. Some of such planned slave resistance abortions happened in New York (1741), Virginia (1800), and South Carolina (1822). Stono Rebellion near Charleston (1739), New Orleans attempted attack in 1811, and Southampton County Nat Turner insurrection (1831) were amongst the most notable slave uprisings. The Turner insurrection had 60-80 rebels resulted in the deaths of about 60 whites. The rebellion lasted for about two days but the local residents easily suppressed it. Less organized slave resistance on the other hand was more successful and widespread. Many slaves resorted to silent sabotage and foot-dragging. Slaves pretended to be sick, intentionally misused animals and tools, and faked difficulty in understanding instructions. Small scale resistance came from individuals who fought back fiercely physically against unjust treatment. The most common form of slave resistance was related to flight. Approximately 1000 slaves escaped from the upper South to the North every year during the pre-Civil War decades. This figure is only a small percentage of the total number of slaves who tried to escape to freedom. Other fugitives remained in South and headed for cities, swamps, or hideouts near plantations for weeks together before they returned voluntarily or were captured.
Slaves escaped from Jamaica and fled to settlement margins like North Carolina Dismal Swamp, where they played an important role in Africans and Native American relations. Several attempts to use laws to intimidate and discourage slaves from resisting did not prove to be successful in the North Atlantic British colonies. Even though slaves met with defeat, they managed to undertake major rebellions in Barbados in the years 1649, 1675, and 1692. The 1649 rebellion was caused because slaves in two plantations were angered by inadequate food supplies allocation ("Slave Resistance," n.d.). This uprising however did little overall damage and was quickly suppressed by the authorities. The 1675 revolt was planned for over three years but was discovered before it was implemented. A female slave betrayed the conspiracy organizers and revealed information to the authorities. About 100 slaves were tortured until they named other conspirators. The court found about 50 slaves guilty and ordered them to be executed. At least 6 of the slaves were burned alive and 11 more were of them were beheaded. 5 other slaves committed suicide before their execution could actually take place. Plans for the 1692 rebellion were also discovered and approximately 93 slaves were executed because of their alleged involvement in the conspiracy ("Slave Resistance," n.d.). Armed rebellion was not a realistic option considering the presence of powerful colonial militia. Though slave rebellions in North Atlantic British colonies and the United States created fear amongst the whites, they failed to threaten the institution of slavery as a whole.
References
Slavery in the United States. (n.d.). Retrieved on February 19, 2008, from
Slave Resistance. (n.d.). Retrieved on February 19, 2008, from
Black, J. (2006). The Atlantic Slave Trade in the Seventeenth Century. Retrieved on February 19, 2008, from