1. Slavery, Empire, Freedom
End of Chapter 4
Slavery, Empire, Freedom

2. How did slavery fuel the economic development of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries?

3. 1. Generated profits for capital investment
1. Generated profits for capital investment. (Banks, insurance companies, factories)
2. Supplied the raw cotton necessary for the industrial revolution.
3. Provided a large market for British manufactured goods (exports) in America.

4. Merchantilism
The struggle to acquire and hoard the fixed amount of wealth that existed in the world.
Whoever accumulated the most gold and silver would be most powerful.

5. Characteristics of Merchantilism - England
Control of economy by the government
Uniform national monetary system
Wage controls
Subsidized agriculture & manufacturing
Tariff barriers
Organize & control trade with colonies to benefit itself.

6. European powers fought out their economics battles on the real battlefields of Europe and the Americas.

7. How Merchantilism hurt colonial economies
Strict regulation favored the mother country.
Cannot import from other countries (except Britain)
Cannot export goods to other countries (except Britain) – “Enumerated Commodities”
Britain becomes the wealthy middle man.
Colonists don’t complain much because colonial merchants are making big profits, too. (Enforcement was lax.)

8. Colonies profited anyway
Protected market
Planters increased purchasing power
New products not subject to “enumerated goods.” (grain, flour, meat, dairy)
Shipped in New England ships.
Ship building industry in New England flourished.
Shipping industry from New England flourished.

9. Colonies profited anyway
New England colonies profited even though they didn’t have valuable products like tobacco, rice, indigo.
The shipping of these commodities and the shipping of slaves made them rich and built many cities in the north east.

10. How did slavery shape southern colonial society?

11. Freedom for white men based on the slavery of African Americans.
What is the most important contradiction of American history?
Freedom for white men based on the slavery of African Americans.

12. Southern Social Structure
Very stratified.
Very wealthy – owned most of the land, ran the government (Carters, Harrisons, Lees, Fitzhughs, Washingtons, Randolphs, et al.
More typical are small farmers, but many still owned 1-4 slaves.
Some whites owned no slaves and worked as laborers themselves. The landless were about 40 percent of the population.

13. White Skin Privilege Laws to keep blacks subjugated were passed.
White owners benefitted economically from fathering children by their slave women.
Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings
Ann Dandridge
Mulattoes had no rights.

14. “Racial distinctions were a constant reminder of the freedom of white colonists and the debasement of all blacks, slave or free.”

15. “Wall of Contempt”
Jefferson
Equiano

16. “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just…
“I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just….”[and remember] “that his justice cannot sleep forever.” --Thomas Jefferson