18th Century Slavery-Chicago, Research Paper Example

Throughout the 18th century, there were a variety of places in the United States that relied on slavery to get the work done for them. Because of this, the United States was able to flourish due to the vast amounts of individuals who were enslaved. Of course, different places treated slaves differently, depending on a variety of factors. With all of the slavery that was going on during the time, it was difficult to keep track of how many slaves were actually working at the fields. It is sad to accept the fact that the United States is founded on slavery. Some places where slavery was prevalent throughout the 18th century include the South in the Chesapeake, the lower country of South Carolina and Georgia, and the northern colonies.

Slavery was first introduced to the North American colonies during the time that John Rolfe was able to purchase black laborers from a certain Dutch trader (1619). Soon after this event, a variety of African Americans began to be introduced into the colonies. The majority, if not all of the African Americans who came to the Chesapeake were unsure of how they would be treated. This is because the Chesapeake has built up a bad reputation as having a very strict set of rules and regulations to adhere to. As a matter of fact, slave owners would more than often interfere in their slave’s lives.^[1] This, of course, let to the slaves leading unhappy lives because of the fact that they were being controlled in every single aspect of their lives. This placed a strain not the slaves psychologically and many of them attempted to run away. Because of this, it is a fair statement to say that the Chesapeake may have been a more difficult place to be a slave in when compared to the lower country of South Carolina and Georgia and the northern colonies.

On that note, Chesapeake was the first of the colonies that allowed the females to reproduce. This initially took place throughout the 1720s. Because of this increase in the slave population, slave owners started to import more female slaves. The reason for this is because if the slaves had offspring, the slave owner could take ownership of this slave as well without having to purchase him or her. Another thing that was unique to Chesapeake is the fact that individuals who were enslaved there had to serve for life. The economy of the Chesapeake included indigo and rice. However, tobacco was extremely popular around this time and, in time, it turned into the largest cash crop for the Chesapeake.

The low country of South Carolina and Georgia was very different from the Chesapeake area in that despite the fact that the slaves were subjected to constant harsh labor, they became used to it. Not to say that the slaves in this area necessarily enjoyed being subordinate to their slave masters, however, they became cognizant of the actuality that there was a system in the manner of which things were run, and they had to adhere to that. Throughout South Carolina and Georgia, slaves were given a certain task to complete or to work out throughout the day. Through this effective method, the African Americans were able to wake up early in the morning, get their objective finalized, and then be able allowed to take care of their own gardens or, at times, raise their own livestock.^[2] The property owned by these certain slaves was often times passed down throughout the generations to slave’s offspring. Clearly, this kind of slavery was very different from the kind of slavery found in Chesapeake. Things were much more relaxed here. Slaves lived a calmer life and were even given more privileges. On that note, an African American would have been much better off in the low country of South Carolina and Georgia because of the fact that the slave would not be prone to extremely harsh treatment, but even if he or she was subjected to difficult times, the slave would be able to enjoy his or her rest of the day tending to his or own things. One thing to keep in mind is that the economy in South Carolina and Georgia was run by rice and indigo.

The northern colonies were centralized in the idea of agriculture. This was most exemplified on Long Island and in New Jersey, along with southern Rhode Island. The majority, if not all, of the slaves worked long hours in things that related to farming as well as stock raising. These individuals served as slaves with elite individuals as their masters. Slavery in the northern colonies was completely different from Chesapeake as well as South Caroline and Georgia because the slaves here were not treated only as if they were property. Not to say that the white people did not treat the slaves as if they were worth something, but they did not disrespect them in a harsh manner either. An African American who resided in the northern colonies would have been blessed because of the way that he or she would not be subjected to harsh labor conditions as portrayed in the South. The slaves were treated so well here that they even took part in the creation of benevolent communities. ^[3]

Throughout the 18th century, slaves were most harshly treated in Chesapeake. Slaves in this area were prone to the worst conditions for generations because of the way masters ensured that the women had offspring in order to have more slaves for the future. In opposition, both the African Americans located in the low country of South Carolina and Georgia and the northern colonies were not treated as badly. When put into perspective, the slaves in South Carolina and Georgia had to put in more effort into their work and follow more strict rules. In the northern colonies, however, life was not that bad for the slaves, considering they even took part in some American events. Overall, Chesapeake was the worst place to live in for an African American. The only reason these slaves resided in such bad places was because they had no way out of their current circumstances.

^[1] “Digital History.” Digital History. January 1, 2014. Accessed March 22, 2015.

^[2] “Slavery in the Colonies.” Slavery in the Colonies. Accessed March 22, 2015.

^[3] Dodson, Howard. “How Slavery Helped Build a World Economy.” National Geographic. February 3, 2003. Accessed March 22, 2015.