Thesis: Between 1607 and 1775, Slavery in the southern colonies grew resulting from the “necessity” of profit. Blacks were removed from Africa and inhumanely treated in the colonies, leading to American dependence on profitable plantation systems that were reliant on slavery; thus, creating a new social system based on race.
The American colonies and England during the 17th and early 18th century were all about making profit. The Atlantic Slave Trade brought the Colonies great profit. The slave trade begins in the colonies where rum is filled into barrels and then transferred to the Gold Coast of Africa. There the rum was traded for slaves who were literally jammed by force into the colonists ships. From Africa they headed to the West Indies where the slaves were exchanged for molasses and sugar which were taking back to the colonies. In the colonies, the cycle started all over again by processing molasses and turnig it into rum. The West Indies were dependant on sugar plantations and since they did not have to pay the slaves to do the work, the plantations saved alot more money with the slaves. England passed acts such as the Molasses Act of 1733 and the Sugar Act of 1764 to try and limit colonists trading. However, these acts did not work as they led to bribery and smuggling of products across the seas and English borders.
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