The
Slave
Industry
Whenever I hear
anyone arguing
for slavery, I feel
a strong impulse to
see it tried on them
personally.
~ A. Lincoln
Slavery ~ A Wretched thing it is!
Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave.
~ F. Douglass
Can we Ever Gain an
Appreciation for h0w horrible
this act really was?
 Human Beings – Real People – taken from their families,
never to be seen again.
 Shipped across an ocean for months, chained to the floor of a ship.
 Sold at an auction like an animal.
 Sent to live and work under horrible conditions
for the rest of their lives.
 No hope for any type of justice, any type of freedom, or any family.
WhY?
There is Hope in the Human Spirit – Not to give up!
To know that
there a better
day is coming!
To persevere, it
takes strength,
courage and faith…
How could we ?
 Slavery in America found it’s beginnings in Africa.
 Shipped across an ocean for months, chained to the
floor of a ship.
 Slavery began amongst the warring tribes enslaving
each other.
 The Europeans, out of greed expanded the slave trade
industry from Northern Africa, west to the Americas.
 Although a majority of the Atlantic Slave trade
industry went to South and Central America, a
percentage of slaves did end up in North America.
How did we ?
 It was in the 1500’s and that the first African were brought in by the Spanish.
However a revolt followed and these African escaped into the wilderness.
 In 1619 a Dutch trading shipped came into Jamestown and brought with them 20
slaves to trade. From that year on, the slave industry steadily grew each year.
 As the colonies began to grow and establish themselves in the different regions,
slavery also grew.
 Warmer weather with fertile lands developed a plantation society in the South
(growing Indigo, rice and tobacco). These crops were very labor intensive. The
European plantation owners did not want to work and only a few controlled vast
amounts of land.
 Therefore the slave industry thrived and their economy came to depend on the slave
market.
Slavery and Regionalism
 In contrast, the North was very different from the South. Colder climate, not
conducive to farming any plants and very wet. The main industries in this area was
lumber (ship building) and fishing. There was no need for slaves.
 Still, the slave population in the South grew steadily until the 1700’s as the colonies
began to define themselves. In contrast, the North saw a rapid growth of religious
groups who abhorred slavery.
 The importation of slaves from Africa was only about 5% in N
American compared to C and S America.
 When the Constitution was signed the slave industry was being phased
out. There was an agreement to end the importation of slaves by 1808.
 However, in 1793 with new technology such as the invention of the
cotton gin, the slave industry was energized.
Life on the Plantation The harsh reality
 Plantation owners would purposely never bring in slaves
from the same village or kept those, who spoke the same
native language.
 The slave community developed their own language.
 Plantation owners would purposely break up families and
sell women and children off and away from their parents.
 Through music and spiritual songs, the slave community
maintained community and hope.
 Plantation owners used other slaves as overseers to keep the
people hard at work.
 At times the slave community rebelled, leaving the planation
community to live in fear.
Slavery was always controversial!
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty
and the pursuit of Happiness.– Declaration of Independence
How Far have we come?