The Enslaved People in the English Colonies

Study Notes

Traders brought millions of Africans to North and South America, and the Caribbean for over 300 years
Enslaved people were taken, chained together, and sold

Africans arrived in the English colonies likely in Virginia, in 1619
The colonies first used indentured servants, but transitioned to more enslaved workers as the need for labor grew
By the mid-1700s, slavery was legal in every colony
Laws stated that children born to enslaved people were also enslaved
Families were often separated

Most enslaved Africans in the Southern Colonies worked on plantations
Treatment varied; enslaved people were often beaten and abused
Escape attempts were made despite the difficulty
Resistance included rebellion, sabotage, feigning illness, and working slowly
Acts of resistance were met with harsh punishments
Culture was preserved through storytelling, singing, and music, including playing drums and banjos
By the late 1700s, Christianity became a source of strength

Southern Colonies economy was based on plantations, which depended on enslaved labor
Cash crops produced by enslaved workers made plantation owners wealthy
Plantations were first built along the Coastal Plain, expanding inland by 1750
Plantations resembled small villages with workshops for making nails, bricks, barrels, etc

Plantation owners hired overseers to supervise enslaved people
Overseer's houses were near the fields, while enslaved workers' houses were farther away
Enslaved people maintained small gardens near their homes when they weren't working the owner's land
Planters managed the plantations but didn't usually do the manual labor
Planters served as community judges or colonial assembly members
They hired teachers for their children, unlike enslaved children who were prohibited from attending school
Enslaved people were punished for learning to read or write

Though larger plantations were more prominent, most colonists lived on smaller farms
Though not often wealthy, former indentured servants sometimes owned these smaller farms
Most owners of small farms did not have enslaved people, and if they did, they generally worked alongside them and did not treat them as equals
Due to distance, church services were important social events and sometimes required considerable travel

Some Africans bought freedom and started farms, but avoided being part of the slavery system
Freed Africans sometimes purchased relatives to emancipate them
Many escaped slavery, but were often captured and returned; some escaped from Spanish Florida
Some were supported by Native American tribes

The Seminole tribe gave runaways food, land, and shelter in exchange for one-third of their crops raised
Many runaways dressed like and learned the language of the Seminole, becoming known as Black Seminoles

Eliza Lucas Pinckney moved to South Carolina in 1738 when she was 16
Started experimenting with indigo seeds received from her father, working with such dedication that she "hardly allowed herself time to sleep or eat."
Three years later, Eliza grew an indigo plant that produced an excellent dye
Within a few short years South Carolina planters were selling one million pounds per year of indigo to cloth makers in Europe

Seaports like Charles Town were important to the Southern Colonies economy
Plantations produced tons of cash crops like tobacco, rice, and indigo
These crops needed to be shipped to markets in England and the West Indies for sale

Tobacco was the main cash crop in Maryland, Virginia, and northern North Carolina due to the climate
This crop required substantial land and labor and depleted the soil's nutrients after about seven plant cycles
Rice became the major cash crop known as "Carolina gold" in southern North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia
Indigo, which grows well in dry climate, became a major cash crop and dye source after Eliza Lucas Pinckney experimented with it
By the 1740s, indigo was a major cash crop throughout South Carolina

Though plantations were often self-sufficient, they depended on merchants and others for goods and services
Interdependence: The term for mutual needs of economic resources
More cash corps were exported as plantations got larger

Planters sold their crops through a broker, who was paid to buy and sell for them
Brokers took the crops to market to sell and acquired needed goods for planters
Successful plantations were located near rivers and ports for easier accessible shipping
By the mid 1700s, cites such as Norfolk and Savannah had grown substantialy

Founded in 1729 on the Patapsco River, which flows into Chesapeake Bay
Baltimore exported large amounts of grain and tobacco
The demand for new ships saw a growth, and the city became a major center for shipbuilding
Over time, shipbuilders developed the Baltimore clipper, one of the world's fastest sailing ships

Farming was significant and important to the economy, where the forests were also important natural resources
Wilmington, North Carolina was known for it's resources