In this article we will explain to you what slavery USA is all about in relation to the history of the USA. This article belongs to the subject history and broadens the topic of history of the United States.
The Origin of Slavery in the United States
Even before Christopher Columbus discovered America in the 15th century, the trade in slaves was not uncommon in Europe. For example, more and more North African Berbers were deported to Portugal.
When the first settlers in America founded isolated colonies, the indigenous people of America, the Indians, were kidnapped and enslaved on a large scale. For example, the slaves had to work in mines or in fields under catastrophic conditions, with slave labor claiming many lives. At the beginning of the 16th century the intercontinental transport of slaves was added. For example, on the orders of the Spanish crown, African slaves were shipped to America to work there as labor in the establishment of colonies and settlements. The Spanish example was followed by other European colonial nations and soon slavery became a lucrative industry within America and Europe.
Trade and Transportation Relating to Slavery in the United States
The transport of slaves to America usually followed a specific trade route. Trade flourished in the triangle formed by Europe, West Africa and the Caribbean. In Africa, slaves were exchanged for weapons and food. The transport ships came from Europe. Then they went to America, where the slaves were sold to farmers and settlers as expensively as possible. On the subsequent return trip to Europe, the transport ships had loaded merchandise and precious metals from the New World, which closed the cycle again and benefited above all the Europeans and the overseas colonies.
Source: https://www.planet-wissen.de/geschichte/menschenrechte/sklaverei/pwiesklavenfueramerika100.html (Created: 03/30/2021)
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In 1619, African slaves were first transported to America by ship. The crossing took place under inhumane conditions for the slaves and quite a few died as a result of the hardships. This was the origin of slavery in the United States, with these people being forced to work there. Accordingly, slaves often had to work on plantations or in mines, although slavery in the USA was not officially abolished until the end of the American Civil War.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the slave trade was mainly promoted by the following nations:
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Portugal
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Great Britain
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Spain
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France
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Netherlands
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Denmark
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Brandenburg-Prussia
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Sweden
Accordingly, the transatlantic trade in slaves had functioned into an international business.
Extents of slavery in the United States
Over a period of about 400 years, this transatlantic slave trade flourished enormously. During this time, around 10 to 12 million black Africans were deported to America. Of these, around 500,000 slaves were officially sold to the USA, and the slave trade also flourished. It is estimated that a total of over 40 million Africans were abducted and enslaved. While the slaves were herded together on the journey across the Atlantic, only about one in four survived this ordeal. In addition to the enormous mental and physical stress, there were also illnesses. Many kidnapped Africans also died from infectious diseases as they were imprisoned on the slave ships in inhumane conditions.
Slave Life in America
Arriving in the USA, most of the slaves had to work on tobacco plantations, sugar cane fields and cotton plantations in the southern USA. There were basically three different forms of slavery in the USA around the 16th and 17th centuries:
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Rural Slavery: Slaves used in agriculture and plantations
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Urban Slavery: Slaves used for household and craft trades
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mining slavery: Slaves used in mines
In addition, slaves were often «refreshed». In this process, wounds and physical blemishes of the slaves were painted over so that the slaves appeared in good condition and could be sold at a higher price.
The degrading living conditions of slaves in the USA
Basically, the slaves were at the mercy of the respective owner or the plantation manager without any protection. Without a doubt, the harshest form of slavery in the United States was plantation slavery in the sugar cane and cotton fields. The use of force was a prerequisite of a society that differentiated between slaves and non-slaves. Disobedience and insufficient work performance were often severely punished. Accordingly, it was not uncommon for slaves to be mistreated by their overseers on the plantations.
The landlords also decided whether and to what extent slaves were allowed to have children. A newborn descendant of a slave automatically became the property of the owner.
On the other hand, it also happened that deserving and loyal slaves were freed by their masters. In extremely rare cases, a slave even managed to learn a trade or craft. As a result, he was able to earn money, but only with the approval of the owner in order to be able to buy his freedom one day.
The Consequences of Slavery in the United States
In addition to the European slave trade, there were also African chieftains who sold tribesmen as slaves to foreigners for money. The European powers depended on this type of access to African slaves.
In the USA, slavery did not officially end until the end of the Civil War in the 19th century. However, the more than 400-year era of slavery has had a lasting impact on the USA. The trauma of the millions of slave deportations is still having an effect on people in Africa today. The demographic and ethnic consequences of the transcontinental slave trade have not yet been fully worked out and are often the subject of current historical and sociological research.
Slavery USA – Everything important at a glance
The following characteristics specifically describe the most important points and framework conditions in relation to slavery in the USA:
- In the course of the colonial period in the history of the USA, members of African ethnic groups were increasingly enslaved and transported by sea to North America in order to use them there as cheap labour
- At the time of America’s Declaration of Independence in 1776, there were more than 460,000 slaves in the United States
- Slavery in the United States was central to the dominant conflict between the northern and southern states during the Civil War
- In the southern United States, the number of slaves grew from year to year and reached a sad peak in 1865 with a number of more than four million slaves
- With the defeat of the Confederacy in the American Civil War, slavery was officially abolished in the United States
FINISHED! Now you know the history of slavery USA related to the history of USA. You can find related and more articles like this on .
INSIDER TIP
“Hey, cool that you are interested in slavery in the USA! Did you know that some of the slaves on the large plantations in the southern United States were able to organize themselves successfully? So there was sometimes a so-called «criollero» – a kind of kindergarten for slave children or basic medical care for slaves, such as smallpox vaccinations. If you have any questions, please use our comment section! Check it out! ”
Leon Jerg
Study Smarter Institute