Essay #1 - Slavery in Virginia (Essay on indentured servitude) PDF

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Essay on how indentured servitude was used in Virginia during the 1800s and how it impacted the slave trade....

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Slavery in Virginia In the early 17th century, indentured servitude was the primary source of labor in Virginia. During this time, early African Americans that were brought over to Virginia were thought of as indentured servants rather than slaves since there was no legal precedent for slavery and there was a fear of rebellion. However, starting in the late 17th century, due to the economic consequences of the labor shortage and decreasing cost of slaves, the English belief in racial superiority and the use of race to distinguish individuals, and the social and political events such as Bacon’s Rebellion and the implementation of the Virginia slave laws, Virginia planters were able to justify and implement the transition from indentured servitude to African slavery. During the early 17th century, the decision to grow tobacco, plus the ideal weather conditions of Virginia, allowed Virginian planters to profit greatly by growing tobacco. While the large demand for tobacco allowed Virginia to quickly develop itself after years of unprofitability in its early years, the lack of labor in the Virginia colony was a major obstacle for many Virginian planters. The indentured servant model allowed an indentured servant to sign a contract to work for an individual for about 3-7 years, and in return for completing the necessary work, the servant would receive their freedom or freedom dues such as land which they could use to get rich1. However, due to the harsh treatment and conditions faced by indentured servants, the number of volunteers who were willing to journey to the colonies had drastically declined. Moreover, fast forward to the mid-17th century, due to the large number of planters growing tobacco to get rich, the tobacco industry went bust and the profitability of tobacco rapidly decreased. The decline in the tobacco industry led many planters to realize that the indentured servitude model was not the best option to meet labor demands. With the large growing

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Ozanne, Rachel. Lecture Recording: Origins of Slavery in Virginia. UT Austin Canvas, 2021.

population of African American slaves in Virginia during the 1660s and 1670s, transitioning from indentured servitude to African slavery was the best financial option from the perspective of Virginian planters since slaves were not expensive to purchase, plus the life expectancy of slaves were drastically improving. Compared to indentured servants who were purchased every 3 to 7 years, African slaves were owned for life, and this only helped to justify the transition from indentured servants to African slaves from a financial perspective. The driving force that fueled the distinction between indentured servants and Africans slaves was the use of race as a factor of difference. Over time, as the African American population in the Virginia colony grew and black individuals became assimilated into the English culture and Christianity, skin color became the main factor of difference. Race was used to address the contradiction of the colonies being a land of opportunity and natural rights, and to isolate African Americans from the notion of having freedom2. Furthermore, the ideology and belief of the wealthy white English elite that they were superior to the “savage immoral brutes” only further gave grounds to refusing rights and benefits to slaves that they themselves enjoyed3. Overall, the English belief in racial superiority and use of race as a factor of difference ultimately created a divide between white and black individuals contributing to the transition to African slavery as a central piece of Virginia’s culture. As the tobacco boom came into a full swing, the heavy toil tobacco cultivation took on the soil, plus the promise of land for new immigrants and freedom dues for indentured servants, there was a large drive for cultivable land. The need for new farmland led to many conflicts and

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“RACE - The Power of an Illusion . Go Deeper.” PBS. Public Broadcasting Service. Accessed June 20, 2021. https://www.pbs.org/race/000_About/002_03-godeeper.htm.

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Williams, Yohuru. “The Most Damaging Myths About Slavery, Debunked.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, May 3, 2018. https://www.history.com/news/debunkingslavery-myths.

issues, the most significant being Bacon’s Rebellion. Due to certain disagreements between Nathaniel Bacon, a white property owner, and William Berkeley, Virginia’s Governor, over how the colony should be regulated, Bacon created his own militia composed of African slaves and indentured servants and attacked nearby Indian tribes in hopes obtaining new farmland and removing Native Americans from the frontier. The militia even went as far as to capture Jamestown and burn it down4. While the rebellion was not successful in driving out the Native Americans, Bacon’s Rebellion served as an eye-opening revelation for the wealthy planters in Virginia to the strength of an alliance between slaves and indentured servants. This led to many new laws and regulations that created key distinctions between white and black individuals that would assert control by the elite over African slaves and reduce the possibility of allied rebellions in the future5. A key example of race-based laws can be found in Virginia Slave Laws that outlined the differing rights between white indentured servants and African slaves. Some of the central differences included those white indentured servants were given the opportunity to gain their freedom after a few years of work, however, African slaves were slaves for life without any possibility of freedom. Moreover, it was unlawful for “any slave to carry or arm [himself] with…any weapon of [defense]” and could be killed by their owners out of anger without any punishment, which only embedded the idea that slaves were property rather than human beings6. Overall, Bacon’s Rebellion and the resulting integration of slave laws only further emphasized the “principle of white supremacy” over the slaves during the time and helps to explain how 4

“Bacon's Rebellion.” National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. Accessed June 20, 2021. https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/bacons-rebellion.htm.

5 Eric Foner, Give me Liberty!: An American History, Brief 6th Edition, Vol. 1 (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2020), 227.

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“Virtual Jamestown - Laws on Slavery.” Virtual Jamestown. Accessed June 20, 2021. http://www.virtualjamestown.org/laws1.html#3.

Virginia was able to transition from a “society with slaves” to a “slave society” in the late 17th century7. During the early 17th century, indentured servitude played as the main labor force in the Virginia colony. However, due to the economic effects of the labor shortage and the declining financial cost of slaves compared to indentured servants, the English belief in racial superiority and use of race as a factor of difference, and the political unrest with Bacon’s Rebellion and the resulting implementation of slave laws, Virginia planters were able to justify and implement the transition from indentured servitude to African slavery in the late 17th century.

7 Eric Foner, Give me Liberty!: An American History, Brief 6th Edition, Vol. 1 (New York: W.W.

Norton & Co., 2020), 228....