Chapter 4 Section 3
Slavery in the Colonies
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Focus Question: How did slavery develop in the
colonies and affect colonial life?
Remember…Spanish settlers first brought
Africans to the Americas as a source of slave
labor.
Atlantic Slave Trade
*1500-1800s – more than 10 million Africans
transported to Americas
*Spanish and Portuguese began slave trade, then
joined British, Dutch, and French
*Slave traders set up posts along the West African
Coast and Africans who lived on the coast went
into the interior to raid villages for captives to sell.
Middle Passage
*Captives were traded for guns and other goods
*Loaded onto ships and transported across the
Atlantic in a brutal voyage known as the Middle
Passage
* Some ships crammed with as much “cargo” as
possible to increase profits; other ships tried to
provide better conditions to assure more captives
survived healthy and worth more
*15 – 20% of enslaved Africans died or committed
suicide on the trip
*Once in the Americas, the enslaved were put on
auction blocks, were usually separated from
family and most ended up on plantations (500,000
in British North America)
Triangular Trade
*By 1700, slave traders had regular routine
known as the triangular trade (a three-way trade
between the colonies, the islands of the Caribbean
and Africa).
~Leg 1: Ships take lumber, fish, and goods
from New England to the Caribbean or West
Indies and bought sugar and molasses to
make rum in New England
~Leg 2: Ships left New England with rum,
guns and other goods to West Africa and
traded for enslaved Africans
~ Leg 3: Ships took enslaved to the West
Indies, sold them and bought more molasses
*Many merchants grew wealthy but often
disobeyed the Navigation Acts and smuggled
goods into New England
Slavery in the Colonies
*In some societies, slaves were freed after a period
of time or if they became Christians
Slavery Takes Root
*Slavery took root because:
~the plantation system and the profits to be
made from tobacco and rice required
Africans to work the fields
~Slaves were preferable to indentured
servants, which were temporary
Enslaved for Life
*In 1639 Maryland passed a law making slavery
permanent and lifelong. A 1633 Virginia law also
stated children born to slaves would be slaves too.
*There were early attempts to stop slavery, but
because profits were so high, antislavery laws
were lifted.
*Slavery came to be restricted to those of African
descent and was therefore linked to racism (the
belief that one race is superior or inferior to
another).
*Some colonists felt they were helping the
Africans by introducing them to Christianity and
European ways.
Resistance to Slavery
*As the number of slaves increased, whites began
to worry about revolts and a few occurred
*Fearing more revolts, slave codes (strict laws that
restricted the rights and activities of slaves) were
written. Some restrictions were:
~slaves could not meet in large numbers
~slaves could not own weapons
~slaves could not leave a plantation
without permission
~it was illegal to teach slaves to read
and write
~masters who killed slaves could not
be tried for murder
*These gave masters more control and made it
harder for slaves to escape and survive
*Resistance did not stop and revolts continued to
flare up
African Cultural Influences
*The lives of slaves differed among colonies
In the north
~might be hired out to work as blacksmiths
or house servants
~might work on small farms alongside owners
~over time, might be able to buy their
freedom
In the south
~On plantations, Africans saw few whites
~Kept African traditions
~Gullah language spoken most often
In middle colonies
~less isolated than in the south
~craftsworkers used African styles to create
quilts, furniture, walking sticks, etc
~rhythm from drums got into
American music
~Banjo became part of American music
Review Questions
1. What was the Middle Passage?
The brutal voyage that carried captured
people across the Atlantic from the West
African coast to slavery in the Americas.
2. What was the purpose of slave codes?
The slave codes were designed to restrict
travel and communication among
enslaved people. The codes were intended
to prevent slave revolts.
3. What cultural influences did Africans
bring to America?
Africans brought language, skill in crafts,
musical styles, and other cultural
influences.