Change of US Slavery by 1740 - Essay Example

In the United States, the first record of slavery was made in 1619. It was characterized by the arrival of the first African slaves in the nation, where they were taken to Jamestown, Virginia. Their primary reason for capture was to work in the tobacco plantations, which was a major cash crop at the time. Since then, slavery continued for over a century. Nevertheless, the concept of American slavery had tremendously transformed by 1740. This is a discussion on the ways in which the concept of American slavery had transformed since 1619 to 1740, and also an illustration of the major changes that characterized the American slavery at the time.

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The analysis will focus on five primary changes in the American slavery that occurred between 1619 to 1740. This is because the first set of slaves arrived in the nation in 1619. The changes that will be discussed will include the creation of indentured servitude, variations in the lives of slaves as well as the ownership of properties by the slaves. The analysis will also focus on the slaves ability to inherit or bequeath properties to other slaves as well as the enactment of the slave codes in the early 1700s.

Indentured Servants

One of the most fundamental occurrence in American slavery before 1740 was the change of the captured American slaves to indentured servants. This occurrence took place in the 1960s (Evolution of Slavery). During this period, the captured slaves in America were no longer considered as slaves, although they were not also taken to be free. Instead, the slaves were given a chance to work for their American masters as servants under an indenture. This was until their indenture period was complete. Also, after the slaves completed their indenture period, they were allowed to live as free people. Nevertheless, the oncoming decades made their freedom a challenging feat in the American society.

Disparity in the Experiences for the Slaves in Captivity

The other change that occurred before 1740 was the change in the experiences of different slaves in captivity, especially during the 1960s (Evolution of Slavery). Initially, all American slaves used to work in large plantations that were owned by their White American masters. However, the American masters started dwelling in urban centers where they also needed servants to work for them. This resulted in a major variation in the lives of slaves in bondage both in the urban and rural regions. The slaves in the urban centers had slightly better life in comparison to those that worked in the rural plantations (Rosenzweig et al., 2008).

Ownership of Properties by Slaves

Prior to the year 1740, the American slaves had started owning their own properties in the nation after completing their indenture period. One of the first American slaves to be issued with a title to own property in the region was Sir Antony Johnson. This occurred in 1665 after he obtained a court ruling in his favor for his master to release him from servitude (Evolution of Slavery). This is because Johnson had already completed his indenture period and as such, he was entitled to his own freedom and a right to ownership. After acquiring his own land, Johnson became a large-scale tobacco plantation farmer. At the time, he was nicknamed as the Black Patriarch by the rest of the slaves. His potential to get a title to own land at the time offered hope to the rest of the slaves that they too could acquire property when their indenture period was complete.

Inheritance and Bequeathing of Properties by Slaves

Prior to 1740, most American slaves had started to receive an inheritance as well as make wills on their properties to other slaves. This phenomenon was well evidenced by the case of Sir Francis Payne in 1673. Payne was a free slave, having served his indenture period. He was also a licensed property owner in America at the time. He wrote a will in 1673 bequeathing his property to both his wife and child. This was the first instance of bequeathing to be recorded in the American slavery at the time. It was also a depiction that slaves could also create and activate their wills of properties to their loved ones. At the time, Paynes will became fully recognized by the American Law.

Slaves Codes

The enactment of the slave codes is another core phenomenon that transformed the American slavery before 1740. The codes were state laws, which were established to define the status of the slaves and also the rights of their American masters. The slave codes composed of harsh restrictions on the operations of all slaves in the nation at the time. Also, the primary role of the slave codes was to discourage any chances of the occurrence of a rebellion among the slaves (South Carolina Slave Codes). For this reason, the slave codes gave the American slave masters total control of all facets of their slaves lives.

After the enactment of the slave codes, most slaves in America did not accept the harsh imposition that the slave codes had on their lives. As a result, numerous slave rebellions occurred in different states of America, especially in regions where the slave trade was massively performed. One of the most notable slave rebellion that occurred during the period was the 1712 uprising in Manhattan. Such fear of rebellion is what made the American government at the time to enact the slave codes. The government saw it to be an effective way of restricting violent behavior from the slaves.

Slave codes were immensely oppressive to all the American slaves in several ways. First, according to the codes, slaves were taken to be properties under their American masters ownership. The codes also prohibited any gathering of slaves by themselves without having a white master in their presence. This was meant to discourage any meetings by slaves that could result to an uprising. Also, special forms of curfews were issued to all slaves who dwelled in the rural regions. Such were the slaves who worked on the large plantations owned by their American masters. The codes also prohibited any slave from being considered as a member of the jury in a case where a white American was involved.

Also, the codes prohibited the White Americans from educating their slaves on the art of reading and writing. Precisely, it made educating of slaves to be an illegal act. Also, in comparison to the American religious traditions, religious customs among slaves were not strongly imposed. This was a way of justifying the white masters acts of breaking the families of slaves. This was through selling different members of a family to different masters. Ultimately, the codes lawfully permitted a slave to be struck, assaulted or killed in the event that such a slave caused harm to a white person.

Analysis

The knowledge of the major changes in the American slavery between 1619 to 1740 enriches todays audience with the knowledge of the impact of such changes on the American history. The knowledge is also important as it enables the audience to know the primary reason why the major changes in the American slavery took place during that period. The knowledge is also important as it portrays the evolution of the American government and the significant changes to its constitution in respect to the abolishment of slavery in the nation. Ultimately, the knowledge is important as it illustrates how the American civilization has improved since the sixteenth century to date.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are five primary changes that occurred in the American slavery before the year 1740. Such included the creation of indentured servitude, broadening in the disparity of slaves life experiences and recognition of the ownership of property by slaves. Also, before 1740, slaves were allowed to inherit or bequeath their properties to other slaves. Ultimately, the slave codes were enacted in early 1700 as a way of offering the American slave masters full control of their slaves lives. This was because the Americans feared that the population of slaves had increased tremendously and a slaves rebellion was bound to occur.

References

Evolution of Slavery Documents

BIBLIOGRAPHY Rosenzweig, R., Clark, C., Lichtenstein, N., Brown, J., & Jaffee, D. (2007). Who Built America? Volume Two: Since 1877: Working People and the Nation's History. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins.

South Carolina Slave Codes Excerpts