A History of Slavery in the Colonies

The dictionary defines a slave as a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them. Instead of doing work for one's self or hiring a person to do that work, a person or party will take a person without their consent and make them their legal property. Historically, slaves were considered property, therefore a slave owner could do whatever they wanted with their slaves. While there were some indentured servants and slaves in the Americas in the 1500s, the establishment of the U.S slavery system would begin in August 1619 when Dutch ships brought “20 and odd” Angolans (thought to be taken from Portuguese warships) landed in the British colonies of Virginia. At the time, these Africans were classified as indentured servants, because slave laws had not yet been set in the colonies.

The late 1600s would see a series of laws put into place in the British colonies to define slaves and the legal system used to control them. By 1700, enslaved Africans were about 11 percent of America’s total population. The reason that plantation owners needed slaves so desperately was for profit. The problem was that these large plantation farms required a massive labor force to maintain and cultivate them. Farmers needed help to grow and harvest cash crops, such as cotton, tobacco, and rice, and the number of indentured servants needed was expensive. Slavery continued to grow in the south because the agricultural economy could be sustained better with the cheap labor that slaves could provide.

The transatlantic voyage that brought slaves from Africa to the Americas was called the Middle Passage. It was called the Middle Passage because it was part of the triangular trade route. This trade route went from West Africa to America, then onto Europe. Slaves were branded with a company mark and put into chains before boarding the ship. This voyage was very dangerous, and many of the slaves being transported died of illness and disease. It was very cramped on the vessels because of the number of slaves stuffed into the lower decks of the boat. With the slaves chained together, they were unable to go to the bathroom so they would lie in their own waste, which quickened the spread of disease.  The crew was abusive to the slaves, often raping the women and forcing slaves to dance on deck for exercise. Food was scarce and ill-tolerated by the slaves, sometimes making them sicker. Slaves that died would be left for long periods of time, chained along with other living slaves. To escape their captivity, some slaves committed suicide by drowning or starving themselves. This treacherous voyage would take approximately 80 days but could take up to six months to complete.  

As time went by and the number of slaves in the British colonies increased, so did the fears of slave owners. They continued to pass more restrictive laws after various slave rebellions. These laws were set in place to keep the slaves from revolting (that did not stop them altogether, but it was a big deterrent). Other laws made it so that slaves could not get an education, travel easily, and they could be searched at any time by anyone.

In 1705, the Virginia Law Codes were created. These law codes were the first laws in the U.S. to restrict the abilities and freedoms of enslaved African Americans. This was a significant development in slave ownership in the colonies because the codes paved the way for increased control over the natural rights and freedoms of slaves. These new codes included the legalization of selling and buying slaves, prohibiting slaves’ rights to own or bear arms, they could not own property or hire anyone, and the codes also allowed for the apprehension of runaway slaves.  

A typical day for a Colonial slave would consist of working sun up to sundown. They were often fed like animals, lived in slave quarters, and wore ill-fitting clothes. In fear of confusing their slaves with runaway ones, some masters even branded their slaves for quick and easy recognition. This practice was first used with farm animals so that the farmer could distinguish his animals from his neighbor’s. It quickly became a widespread practice on slaves along with animals, further dehumanizing the enslaved people even more.

Some slaves were able to gain freedom from slavery by joining the military. The Revolutionary War fought between the colonies (the Continental army) and the British, proved to be an out for some slaves. Initially, George Washington opposed slaves joining his army, but would later change his mind when the British forces began enlisting the help of the slaves in the colonies. These slaves first had to escape their plantation, as their masters would surely refuse to let them free. After their escape, they would have to find the nearest military outpost without detection from other slave owners. If they managed to join the military, then once the war was over, their contract had ended, or their servitude was not needed, then they were released from the military and granted their freedom. This did not stop them from also being discriminated against in the barracks. There was large contrast in the number of slaves that joined the British army versus the Continental army. Approximately 20,000 slaves joined the British army, while it is estimated around 5,000 joined the Continental army. After the Continental Army defeated the British and won the Revolutionary War in 1783, over the next couple of decades many northern states began to abolish slavery.

Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860, as tensions increased between the northern and southern states over the debate of new territories joining the union. The number of African slaves had reached approximately four million in the United States. The southern states did not agree that the federal government should be able to prohibit slavery in unclaimed territories.  These differences would ultimately culminate at the Battle of Fort Sumpter in 1861 and the country would begin a civil war.

The civil war was the war to split the United States and split northern states versus southern states. This civil war was fought due to disagreements on whether slavery should continue to be a practice in the United States. The North or the Union were abolitionists (a person who advocated or supported the abolition of slavery in the U.S.) while the South or the Confederacy were fighting for slavery. The reason for the change of heart in the Union was mainly because the population thought that the principle of slavery was morally wrong, and went against American Ideals and natural rights. The reason the Confederacy wanted to continue using slaves, was because it was a very lucrative business, and the slaves were providing free labor to maintain and cultivate these massive plantations of cash crops, that would in-turn generate profit for the owner. So plantation owners were not only receiving profit from their sales from the cash crops they grew on their plantations, they were receiving free labor so they didn’t have to do all the work by themselves as well.

African Americans served in the Confederate army, as well as the Union army.  There were more than 179,000 African American men enlisted with the union army. By 1865, the Confederate army finally allowed African Americans to join their army, but few did. 

January 31, 1865, was the date the 13th amendment was passed by congress. This amendment legally abolished slavery. Most states didn’t follow immediately though. It took decades for states to gradually implement the amendment. (8) At around the end of the three years of constant war, President Abraham Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation. This document banned the use and abuse of slaves nationwide. This was a major turning point in American history because up to now, American States had just kept passing laws to restrict and limit the freedoms of slaves. When the Emancipation Proclamation was passed, it forbid the use of slavery, which legally surpassed all of the other oppressive laws made by states. Once the Union had won the war in April of 1865, the Civil war ended and the Emancipation Proclamation was in effect. Some states followed the Proclamation due to their loss and outlawed slavery, but many states did not do the same immediately. It took years of slaves’ suffering before every state in the U.S. had outlawed slavery.