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In the United States slavery was a form of labor, for over a hundred years. In 1619 the first slaves were recorded to have arrived in Jamestown, Virginia. Most slaves were black and owned by white families. As time progressed there were more black slaves in America than anticipated. During the Revolutionary Era if slaves fought for Britain they would be granted freedom. Since Britain surrendered some of the slaves were given back to America after negotiations. There were a few fortunate slaves that were granted the freedom promised and sent to Britain to live.

For more than four centuries an estimate of 10 million slaves were brought to America. In order to regulate a relationship between slave and owner, slave codes were established. Though states were given the chance to create their own codes, many of the states had the same codes.

The rising tensions dealing with slavery led to the Civil War in 1861. The general question was what the states should do about slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation didn’t free the slaves. On January 1, 1863 the Proclamation did promise freedom to the slaves. It wasn’t until the 13th Amendment that slaves were legally free.

Etymology

The English word slave is derived from the Old French word esclave, which means “person who is the property of another.” The Old French world esclave derived from the Medieval Latin word sclavus. Ultimately all these words come from the Byzantine Greek word σκλάβος, which has the same meaning as the English word slave.

Native American Slavery

Tribal Slavery

Most Native American tribes practiced slavery before Europeans settled in America. Tribal slavery among the Native Americans wasn’t on a large scale like African slavery with the Europeans. Native Americans usually enslaved captives from war with other local tribes. These slaves were either used for minimum labor tasks or sacrificed for tribe rituals. Native Americans and their captives lived together as one, instead of being separated by inferiority. The Native America war captives slowly found themselves becoming a part of the tribes that captured them in the beginning.

Each tribe treated their war captive differently from the other. Most of the captives were brought into the tribe and kept alive in order to replace the warriors that had been killed during war. In fear of the captives running away some tribes cut one foot off the war captives. It was often that captives married other tribal members, especially women who lost their husbands in war. Children of captured slaves and tribal members were treated as members of the tribe.

Native American and European Slavery

Native Americans tried as hard as they could to maintain the traditional ways when the Europeans settled on their land. The Native Americans and African slaves interacted with eat other in many ways. In the late 1700’s Benjamin Hawkins, a U.S. agent to Native American tribes in the southeast influenced the Indians to start enslaving African slaves. Hawkins convinced the Indians that by enslaving the Africans they could achieve European style farming. Europeans believed that the Native American form of slavery was too loose. Slowly the Native Americans adopted the European form of slavery. No longer were they enslaving individuals from war, but Native Americans also had African slaves.

Revolutionary Era

Freedom in Britain

During the Revolutionary War Britain offered freedom to any slave that served in the British Army. Thousands of slaves fled to the British army. Slaves running away to fight for the British army slowed down plantation production. The British had more than 20,000 slaves and Native Americans fighting on their lines. Unfortunately after the Revolutionary War Britain gave some of the slaves back because of negotiations. A few slaves were taken back to Britain before the negotiations were finalized. More than 3,000 slaves were sent to Nova Scotia; others were transported to the West Indies. In 1833, The British Imperial Act abolished slavery in Britain.

Freedom in Canada

Slavery in Canada was basically nonexistent. There was never an established direct slave trade from Africa to Canada. In 1688 when governors in Canada requested for this direct slave trade it was denied. Most slaves in Canada worked in the homes of wealthy families and high officials. A Canadian home didn’t have more than three to five slaves. During the Revolution numerous amounts of slaves ran away to Canada. The Upper Canada Abolition Act in 1793 freed any slave that entered Ontario. Also in this act any child born to a slave would be granted freedom at the age of 25. Upper parts of Canada were the first British colonies to pass antislavery acts. Slaves ran away to Canada because they were treated differently. Canadians slave owners allowed their slaves to learn to reads and write. Slave marriages were also legal in Canada. The differences between Canadian and American slave owners were that, Canadian owners didn’t feel intimidated by their slaves. By 1850 more than 30,000 Blacks were living freely in Canada. The United States passed a Fugitive Act in 1850. Free Black in Northern States could be kidnapped and sold back into slavery in the South. Because of this in February of 1851, the Anti-Slavery Society of Canada was founded.

1790’s-1860’s

Slave Codes

Slave codes were created to create a relationship between owner and slave. Slave owners didn’t want their slaves running away and learn to do things that might help them. For this reason slave codes were established. All states were allowed to create their own slave codes. Most states had the same slave codes. According to the slave code if one’s mother was a slave, that child is also a slave. This was clearly stated, because many of the slave owners and overseers were sexually abusing female slaves. That code made slavery permanent. Slaves had no rights, couldn’t own property, or even complain.

Slave treatment

Treatment of slaves was brutal and inhumane. Many of these acts of violence came from the Willie Lynch Letters. In 1712 Willie Lynch, a plantation owner in the West Indies learned that plantation owners in the South couldn’t control their slaves. He wrote them a letter while on the James River in Virginia. Willie Lynch let the slave masters know that his tactics would work for 300 years:

Willie Lynch Papers

In my bag here, I have a fool-proof method for controlling your black slaves. I guarantee everyone of you that if installed correctly it will control the slaves for at least 300 years. My method is simple, any member of your family or any overseer can use it. I have outlined a number of differences among the slaves, and I take these differences and make them bigger. I use fear, distrust, and envy for control purposes. These methods have worked on my modest plantation in the West Indies, and it will work throughout the South. Take this simple little test of differences and think about them. On the top of my list is "Age", but it is there because it only starts with an "A"; the second is "Color" or shade; there is intelligence, size, sex, size of plantations, attitude of owners, whether the slaves live in the valley, on a hill, East, West, North, South, have fine or coarse hair, or is tall or short. Now that you have a list of differences, I shall give you an outline of action--but before that, I shall assure you that distrust is stronger than trust, and envy is stronger than adulation, respect, or admiration. The Black Slave, after receiving this indoctrination, shall carry on and will become self refueling and self generating for hundreds of years, maybe thousands. Don't forget, you must pitch the old Black vs. the young Black male, and the young Black male against the old Black male. You must use the dark skinned slaves vs the light skinned slaves, and the light skinned slaves vs. the dark skinned slaves. You must use the female vs. the male, and the male vs. the female. You must also have your servants and overseers distrust all Blacks, but it is necessary that your slaves trust and depend on us. They must love, respect, and trust only us. Gentlemen, these kits are your keys to control, use them. Have your wives and children use them. Never miss opportunity. My plan is guaranteed, and the good thing about this plan is that if used intensely for one year, the slaves themselves will remain perpetually distrustful. ~William Lynch~

There was also a wide range of sexual abuse and rape during slavery in America. Many of the slave owners raped young black female slaves. In the South it was prohibited to have relationships between a black and white individual. Yet, the South also encouraged the sexual abuse between white men and black women.

Slave Migration

Many plantation owners in the South looked at land westward. At this time the west wasn’t developed and individuals were moving there to get more land for a cheaper price. There was also a great demand for cotton and plantation owners needed more space. Historians have estimated that more than 50,000 slaves were moved westward. This move was called the Great Migration. Some even believed it was the Second Middle Passage. Families were forced to separate and leave everything they knew behind. This migration replicated in many ways the First Middle Passage. By 1810 slaves that lived in the Southern states were moved to Kentucky, Texas, and Tennessee. Slaves were faced with life in a new place, the frontier. There was a combination of horrible nutrition, bad weather, and exhaustion. Slave resistance was increased due to the harsh conditions of frontier life. The Slave owners had to use violence in order to control the rebels.

Nat Turner Rebellion

In 1831 a slave named Nat Turner started a bloody rebellion in Southampton, Virginia. Turner was able to read and write which wasn’t normal for slaves. He started what was later known as the Nat Turner Rebellion. Turner and his faithful followers killed over sixty white individuals. Nat Turner was captured along with 17 of his followers. Turner and the other rebels were hanged. The men who captured Turner also killed slaves who weren’t involved in the rebellion to fear other slaves. Slave owners feared that slaves would rebel again, so thousands of them were punished. New laws were established after the Nat Turner Rebellion. Slaves were forbidden to learn to read or write and anyone caught trying to teach them would be severely punished.

Civil War

Tensions between North and South

Between 1776 and 1804, slavery was outlawed in every state north of the Ohio River. International slave trade was abolished in 1808, after Great Britain. Few states like New York and Pennsylvania wants slavery to be abolished in every state. There were many abolitionist movements that believed all men were born free and equal to one another. The movement caused tension between the North and South which then led to the Civil War. Individuals in the North believed that slavery was a sin. Slave owners in the South saw nothing wrong with slavery. Slave owners needed people to work for free which were slaves, in order to make money. The Civil War began in 1861. Many slaves escaped to fight on the Union lines. For over four years the Civil War lasted. Many plantations were ruined because of the war. Also the war messed up the economy in the South. On April 9, 1865, the Confederacy surrendered to the Union. Southern states slowly began to surrender after hearing the news.

Emancipation Proclamation

On July 21, 1862 President Lincoln mentioned the Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet. The final copy of the Emancipation Proclamation was issued January 1, 1863. The proclamation promised freedom for slaves in the Confederacy as soon as the Union reached them. Yet, the proclamation didn’t free the slaves in Union-allied slave-holding states. The Emancipation Proclamation would free over four million slaves which was 13% of the U.S., population. Thousands of slaves ran away to find freedom in free states. The war ended in 1865 of April.

Thirteenth Amendment

After the end of the Civil War, slavery still continued in some locations. It wasn’t until the Thirteenth Amendment when slavery was officially and permanently abolished. . The amendment wasn’t ratified until three-fourths of the states accepted it, which took two years. On December 6, 1865 all remaining slaves were free men and women.