African American Slavery

From the early seventeenth century to the early nineteenth century, the enslavement of Africans was a common practice in the Americas. In the United States, the first slaves came to Jamestown in 1619, starting the southern United States’ tradition of slavery and plantation life. Concurrently, in Spanish colonies slaves were imported to fuel the mining of gold and the production of sugar. In both British and Spanish colonies, African slaves faced abuse, racism, and grueling amounts of physical labor. Escaped slaves were subject to strict punishments, and slaveholders regardless of location feared rebellion. The abuse faced by Africans enabled the development of the Americas. Mexico, in particular, benefited greatly from slave labor, since it …show more content…
In the seventeenth century, the price of sugar peaked. Due to technological limitations, sugar cane required a large labor force working long hours to turn a profit. The Spanish established large plantations (haciendas) throughout the Caribbean to grow sugar. Although the Spanish used indigenous laborers at first, the native population dwindled so they begin to buy African slaves from Portuguese traders. From 1610 to 1650, approximately 4000 slaves entered Mexico to work on sugar plantations, in addition to the established mines, textile factories, and cattle ranches. The African slaves were forced to perform physical labor for long hours in all seasons. Many Africans died on Mexican sugar plantations due to the widespread belief that they were physically better resistant to exhaustion, so there was constant demand for …show more content…
In the United States, an entire region of the country seceded to keep the practice of slavery, but in Mexico, slavery ended without conflict. Once the indigenous population recovered, the natives provided a cheap labor source for Mexican business owners. Slaves became expensive to the point where masters would allow their slaves to buy their freedom or set slaves free through their wills. In addition, conflict between the Spanish and the British made crossing the Atlantic nearly impossible for the Spanish due to the strength of the British navy. By the early eighteenth century, the slave population had also decreased due to race mixing between Africans, whites, and indigenous people. Even before the slow colonial government took action, the slave trade had mostly stopped. On December 19, 1817, the Spanish colonial government formally abolished the slave trade. At the end of the colonial era, there were only 10,000 slaves in Mexico. In 1829, after Mexican independence was achieved, Mexico abolished slavery with little

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Essay On African American Slavery

Slavery In African American History