SLAVERY in the British Colonies [APUSH Review Unit 2 Topic 6] Period 2: 1607-1754

Summary

This video from the AP US History curriculum delves into the dark side of British colonization, focusing on the causes and effects of slavery in North American colonies. It discusses the Atlantic slave trade, the horrors of the Middle Passage, and how slavery was integral to all colonies, not just the South. The video also highlights the evolution of chattel slavery and the harsh slave laws in Virginia, influenced by the British West Indies. It emphasizes slave resistance, including covert practices and overt rebellions like the Stono Rebellion, challenging the narrative of plantation owners as benevolent.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video discusses Unit 2 of the AP US History curriculum, focusing on British colonization in North America and the Atlantic slave trade.
• 🚢 It highlights the Atlantic slave trade's role in transporting approximately 3 million Africans to British colonies.
• 🌊 The script describes the Middle Passage, a horrific journey where many Africans died due to overcrowding and poor conditions on slave ships.
• ⚖️ All British colonies in North America participated in and benefited from the African slave trade, not just the southern colonies.
• 🏰 The demand for enslaved labor increased due to a need for agricultural workers as indentured servants became scarce and unreliable.
• 🔄 The video mentions Bacon's Rebellion, which led to a shift towards African slavery over indentured servitude due to fears of further uprisings.
• 📊 Enslaved Africans were distributed across colonies, with the highest concentrations in the southern colonies and the British West Indies for plantation labor.
• 🏛️ Chattel slavery, a race-based form of slavery, was institutionalized in the British colonies, treating enslaved people as property.
• 📜 The British West Indies influenced harsh slave laws in other colonies, including Virginia, where enslaved people had no legal rights.
• 🔥 Despite harsh conditions, enslaved Africans resisted their oppression through covert means like maintaining cultural practices and overt rebellions like the Stono Rebellion.
• 📈 The video concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding slave resistance as a key part of the history of slavery in British North American colonies.

Q & A

What is the main topic discussed in this video script?

The main topic discussed in this video script is the causes and effects of slavery in British colonies in North America, focusing on the Atlantic slave trade, the distribution of enslaved Africans, and the nature of slavery in the colonies.

How many captive Africans were transported to the British colonies in North America and the Caribbean?

Approximately 3 million captive Africans were transported to the British colonies in North America and the Caribbean.

What was the Middle Passage, and what were the conditions like for the captive Africans?

The Middle Passage was the segment of the triangular trade in which millions of Africans were transported to the Americas. The conditions were extremely harsh, with captives packed so densely into the holds of ships that there was scarcely room to breathe, resulting in the death of about half a million during transport.

Why did the British colonies in North America have an increased demand for enslaved laborers?

The British colonies experienced an increased demand for enslaved laborers due to the growing need for agricultural goods and a shortage of indentured servants to perform the labor.

How did Bacon's Rebellion in 1676 influence the reliance on African slavery over indentured servitude?

Bacon's Rebellion, in which indentured servants allied with enslaved Africans against the colonial governor of Virginia, made white elites wary of further uprisings and alliances. As a result, they decided to rely more on African slavery than indentured servitude.

What was the distribution of enslaved Africans like in the British colonies?

Enslaved Africans were distributed across the British colonies with fewer in New England, more in the middle colonies and port cities, and the greatest numbers in the Chesapeake and Southern colonies and the British West Indies.

What is chattel slavery, and how was it justified by the slave owners?

Chattel slavery is a form of race-based slavery where enslaved people were treated as property, on the accounting level of a farm tool or a domesticated animal. This was how slave owners justified holding other people in bondage.

How did the British West Indies influence the institution of slavery in the southern colonies?

The British West Indies, being leaders in the slave trade, influenced the institution of slavery in the southern colonies by setting harsh slave laws, such as legally defining African laborers as chattel and making slavery a perpetual institution passed down through generations.

What were some of the harsh slave laws enacted in Virginia?

In Virginia, slave laws included legally defining African laborers as chattel, making slavery a perpetual institution, granting plantation owners the legal right to kill enslaved laborers who defied their authority, and making it illegal for any black person to possess weapons or leave the plantation without formal permission.

How did enslaved Africans resist their dehumanizing conditions?

Enslaved Africans resisted their conditions both covertly and overtly. Covert resistance included practicing cultural customs, maintaining belief systems, and slowing work by breaking tools or damaging crops. Overt resistance involved rebellions, such as the Stono Rebellion in South Carolina in 1739.

What was the Stono Rebellion, and what was its significance?

The Stono Rebellion was an uprising in 1739 where a group of enslaved men stole weapons, killed white store owners, and marched along the Stono River, gaining more followers and burning plantations. It was significant because it challenged the narrative of plantation owners as benevolent caretakers and showed that enslaved people did not agree with their subjugation.