The Colonial and Revolutionary War Negro

1619-1800

Crispus Attucus is first person killed in the Revolutionary War effort

Africans first come to the Americas as indentured servants. As the need for labor increased, the legal conversion of the African into chattel was institutionalized.

The Process of the Legalization of Slavery in the United States

1619 Coming of Africans to Jamestown

1640 African enslavement is commonplace

1662 African enslavement in Virginia law, practice has existed and is legalized

1667-1706 Principle that the conversion of an African to Christianity did not allow the African

freedom, was established.

· Slavery is recognized and legalized because of the growing demand for labor to push forward the economic growth of the British colonies

· Colonies needed to be peopled to generate development. British encourage migration of British citizens to colonies

· British accept the prevailing form of labor exploitation as it colonizes the eastern coast of North America (later to become the USA)

Why was Slavery centered on the Africans?

1. Mark of high visibility

2. Africans were used to hot, tropical climate

3. African women were familiar with agricultural work

4. Racism

5. Close geographical proximity of Africa to the Americas.

The plantation system became a self-sufficing unit.

Quarles p. 49 emphases this point.

Note: Are the Africans still Africans or something else? What is their legal identity? Who are

they? How should the Africans and African descendants be identified. Are they African? American? Slaves? Begins the

Disconnection from territorial connection to Africa

Concern about the growing population of African descendants is expressed and the colonies took steps to limit international slave trading. With the population of African slaves, breeding was now possible.

Declaration of Independence 1776

http://memory.loc.gov/const/declar.html

http://www.heritage.org/research/features/almanac/pdf/slavery.pdf

The deleted clause, et al