Slavery in the Colonies
New England
Economy
- It was more common for enslaved individuals to learn specialized crafts because of the areas varying economy
- Minsters, doctors, tradesmen and merchants would commonly use slaves to assist them and help run their households
Political
- Massachusetts is recognized as the first colony to legalize slavery in 1641
- Colonists continued enslaving native Americans, especially those who were captured during warSocial
- Connecticut, Masssachusets, and Rhodesia Island were the states with the most slaves in the New England colonies
Middle Colonies
Economy
-Slaves were somewhat more important to the middle colonies than they were to New England. They worked in cities as skilled laborers, such as blacksmiths and carpenters.Other slaves worked on farms, onboard ships, and in the growing shipbuilding industry. However, indentured servants largely filled colonies' growing labor needs. Between 1700 and 1775 about 135,000 indentured servants came to the middle colonies. About half of them moved to Pennsylvania. By 1760 Philadelphia had become the largest British colonial city. Other cities in the middle colonies, such as New York City, also grew quickly.
-Slaves in the middle colonies helped the economy grow by working on farms and producing products to be sold
Political
-Slavery in the middle colonies existed as a labor relationship
-Slaves were the lowest of social status’ so the uneven relationship it created gave white colonists an exaggerated sense of their own status.
Social
-the slave population was smaller compared to the southern colonies because the economics and geography didn’t promote the need for slaves like the south did
Southern Colonies
Economy
- a Dutch ship brought the first slaves to Virginia in 1619
- As the demand for workers rose, the cost of slaves rose
- By the mid 1600’s most Africans in Virginia were being kept in life long slavery
Political
- Slave owners in the south usually owned large amounts of land as well as plantations, because of this they were very influential politically
- Slave owners being politically influential helped protect their rights to own slaves and block economic growth for them
Social
- Southerners who didn’t have slaves still relied on them to build them up in society because slaves were the lowest
- Slaves got more expensive when people started growing cotton because the need for slaves was higher
Rebellion
The Stono Rebellion was the largest slave rebellion in the southern colonies with 25 colonists and up to 50 Africans killed. The revolt began on September 9th 1739 in the colony of South Carolina. A common belief on why the Stono Rebellion was started was because many slaves heard of runaways that made it to Florida, where they were given freedom and land. The Spanish issued a proclamation that stated any slave who went to St. Augustine would be given the same treatment.
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