1. Topic 3
Colonial Slavery

2. How, when and why did slavery first develop in the Southern English colonies of North America?

3. Blacks arriving at Jamestown

4. First blacks were indentured servants

5. The lives of indentured servants could be harsh and laborious, and was strictly regulated

6. Women as indentured servants faced particular difficulties

7. As Virginia and the Chesapeake region grew, discrimination against blacks increased.

8. The length of indentured servant contracts for blacks began to increase.

9. The first statutes defining slavery (servitude for life, and continued among offspring) and outlining codes of conduct were in Virginia in These codes became fairly uniform as other colonies adopted slavery:
1) Slavery defined by status of birth mother
2) Slaves found guilty of murder or rape were to be hanged, while punishments for lesser crimes remained severe
3) Slaves could would be treated as chattel property, able to be purchased and sold and with virtually no restrictions on owner’s treatment

10. Development of slavery in North America:
Basic racism in European culture is considered part of the cause
2) Demand for labor in the new product of tobacco
First surge in tobacco prices led to influx of producers and, eventually, an over-supply. Accordingly, there was a sudden drop in prices
Rather than realizing the need for collective cuts to production to raise prices, growers tried to cut production costs instead
At this time mortality rates for indentured servants were dropping. More and more indentured servants were living out their servitude and were given their freedom, requiring the grower to purchase a new indentured servant. Before, when mortality rates were high, it did not make sense to pay more for a slave than an indentured servant because both would probably die in their first few years. Now, however, it became more cost-productive to pay more at the outset for a slave than continuing to purchase a series of indentured servants. Slavery also provided for breeding and, thus, cheap future labor

11. Slavery in Maryland developed as early as Virginia and was similar in many respects

12. Carolina, originally founded as a single colony, saw the number of slaves rise quickly, and thus also developed strict slave codes and harsh punishments

13. Stono Rebellion took place in South Carolina in 1739

14. Colonial Georgia developed later and differently than the other southern colonies in regard to slavery

15. What role did slavery play in the Middle and Northern colonies?

16. “Middle Colonies”

17. Dutch Patroon

18. As a major colonial city, slaves were numerous in New York City

19. Slave uprising in NYC in 1712

20. While the number of slaves grew in colonial New jersey, initially encouraged by the English, slaves remained a small percentage of the general population.

21. Influenced by its Quakers, slaves in Pennsylvania had it best among all the colonies with slaves

22. Most agriculture in the Middle Colonies was not large staple crop plantations but small family-run subsistence farming