J. Kelly Robison

The Development of Slavery

  1. Introduction
    1. Need for labor
    2. Inefficiencies of Indian and African slavery
    3. Efficiencies of indentured servitude
    4. Later problems with indentured servitude
  2. Need for labor
    1. Tobacco main crop in the Chesapeake
    2. Tobacco a labor intensive crop
      1. One person can cultivate only 3 acres
  3. Inefficiencies of Indian and African slavery
    1. Indians
      1. Diseases killed of Indian population
      2. Indians unused to labor of the sort required for tobacco cultivation
        1. Especially Indian men
      3. Close to their own territories - would escape
      4. Needed for trade
    2. Africans
      1. Costly in the early part of the seventeenth century
        1. Monopoly of Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch
      2. English merchants unable to acquire large numbers of African slaves
  4. Efficiencies of Indentured Servitude
    1. English tradition of indentured servitude
    2. Few jobs available in England
      1. Enclosure movement took farmers off the land
      2. Rising population of England
    3. Headright system
      1. Masters received land for servants brought over - increased their wealth
      2. Servants would receive freedom dues at end of service
  5. Change from Indentured Servitude to African Slavery
    1. Fewer willing to become servants
      1. More jobs in England
        1. Decline of birthrate
        2. Beginnings of Industrial Revolution
      2. Problems in America
        1. Servants did not always receive freedom dues
        2. Many did not survive until end of contract
        3. Bacon's Rebellion
          1. Impact: Masters less willing to employ indentured servants
    2. African Slavery becomes more economically feasible
      1. Royal African Co. charter changed
        1. Allows other merchants to trade in slaves
      2. Increase in importation of African slaves
        1. Decrease in price due to availability
      3. Economics of slavery
        1. Life-time servitude
        2. Status passed on to next generation
        3. Slaves more manageable than English servants

Identification Terms:

indentured servitude sugar Royal Africa Company
tobacco "Seasoning" chattel slavery
ethnocentrism

Study Questions:

Why did English colonists first adopt the institution of indentured servitude rather than Indian or African slavery to meet their demands for labor? Why, then, did African slavery replace indentured servitude?

quiz

Links

Understanding Slavery: DiscoverySchool.com

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