African and African American Slavery Evolution Essay

Slavery began in 1619 when the Dutch brought a ship that had twenty slaves in the British Colony of Jamestown. During the seventeenth century, the European farmers focused on the African slaves, as they were relatively cheaper to higher and maintain. The African slaves were not easily attacked by the diseases thence could not be less productive because of morbidity. The slaves provided better labor than the European slaves did. In the seventeenth, century the African slaves mainly worked in the rice, indigo and tobacco plantations, especially in the South Coast. After the revolution in America, the northerners did not see the importance of slavery in Agricultural sector and linked the oppression of the Africans and the oppression of the American by the British. This paper explains the evolution of slavery among the Africans and the African Americans in the seventeenth century.

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The American slavery in the 17th century was because of the shortage of labor in the European colonies. The colonists used various means to lure the laborers from the colony to work for them but still the employees could not meet the colonist's demands (Foner, Eric p6). The colonists had to turn to Africa to be able to get enough number of slaves to work in their plantations. The slaves were not only available, but were also cheaper to hire. The increasing demands for the people to work in the colonial plantations made the colonies to believe that buying the African slaves to be the most appropriate ways through which they could manage to get the enough number of people to work in their plantations (Foner, Eric p6). By 1680s, the number of African slaves in the United States had greatly increased. The Africans who were brought into the United States through slavery made a great population of the African Americans. Introduction of tobacco in the United States farm also increased the demand of slaves.

The tobacco was planted in large plantations that required large labor force to ensure that the harvest were good (Foner, Eric p6). Africans could easily survive in the plantations that included tobacco. The soils in the America were perfect for tobacco growth and most of the colonialists focused at ensuring that they provided the best they could to the colonialists. The growth of tobacco required a stable workforce that turned interests of the colonialists to buy the African slaves (Foner, Eric p8). Tobacco is a type of plantation that depletes the soil all the nutrients and individuals need to train their employees on the best ways to maintain the farm. Since farming is a business that involves competition, the employees need to be permanent and the only way to get permanent employees was to own the African slaves (Foner, Eric p10). The employees of within the colonial authorities were running away to find better masters or go away to gain their independence after accumulating enough wealth. The economic prowess of the colonialists greatly depended on the amount of tobacco grown. The planter was to minimize the costs incurred in training in order to get enough profits. Owning slaves was the best option to ensure that minimal costs are incurred in the training of employees.

The characteristics of the African slaves also enticed the colonialists to get more attracted to them. The African slaves were immune to malaria that was among the deadly diseases of the time. Most of the African slaves were subsistence farmers in Africa and this gave them an upper hand when working on the tobacco plantations (Foner, Eric p10). The demand for slaves grew as time elapsed as more tobacco plantations were being established in the United States. Morality was not included in slavery. Most of the slave owners focused on the economic benefits that came with slavery. They did not consider the difficulties that the American slaves could be going through in the United States. Slavery was a legal practice in the United States and this led to great disagreements between the two American continents during its abolition. Some people had invested in the industrial revolution and did not see the importance of the involvement of slaves in agriculture. Some people thought that free people could be more productive than individuals who were coerced.

Conclusion

The establishment of the headright system encouraged the tobacco planters to import workers as it gave them the opportunity to own their employees once they are in a position to acquire them. The states that ensured that the headright system includes the Maryland and Virginia. The headright system gave those who have a good number of laborers to have access to pieces of land to help the in plantations (Foner, Eric p10). Having a good number of laborers gave the colonialists the opportunity to have a fifty-acre piece of land. The headright system had a great impact on the lives of the workers in the farm plantations. Some of the workers performed their duties according to the rules of the planters. Some of the planters in the headright system after working for them for an outlined period. Employees who misbehaved were asked to work for the organization for considerably longer periods.

Work Cited

Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History: Seagull Fourth Edition. Vol. 1. WW Norton & Company, 2013.