In: Economics
Write a Reflection Essay that examines the juxtaposition of slavery of Negros, American Indian free-labor, and indentured servitude in European Colonial practices(5-7 paragraphs)
The Need for Slavery in the
Colonies
Farming, sewing, and taking care of livestock were just a few
responsibilities that were left to slaves during the 1600's. White
families received all of the benefits from the work done, yet they
rarely had to lift a finger, unless it was to correct a slave.
Today's generation reads about slavery and regards it as morally
wrong. While I agree that slavery was one of America's greatest
wrongdoings, it paved the way for America as we know it
today.
One of the largest uses of slave labor was in the southern
plantations. Virginia's economy depended greatly on the production
of tobacco. However, the problem being that tobacco plants required
thousands of workers to produce the extensive amount that was being
exported . Without the use of slave labor, there would not have
been enough man power to fuel the plantations.
Virginia was not the only colony in need of help on the
plantations. Rice plantations in the Carolinas became a cash crop
in the early 1690's. However, slaves were not first to work on the
rice plantations; white indentured servants were. The servants did
not last long because of the malaria carrying mosquitoes that
infested the swamps, and African Americans were soon enlisted as
slaves to work the plantation .
The plantation owners saw two advantages to having African American
slaves as opposed to the white servants. Some African Americans
came to the colonies already in possession of the skills needed to
cultivate rice, and they could teach these skills to their masters.
The second reason was that Africans tended to be immune to malaria
and yellow fever, both of which existed heavily in the marshes2.
Requiring slaves to cultivate the marshes made for a more efficient
way to produce the rice.
Plantations did not always start out with the availability to
produce crops. It took a lot of manpower and time to get the land
into shape. Slaves were brought into the plantations when it was
just deserted land, and forced to chop down trees, cultivate the
land, and build manmade water canals. The best example we can see
of this is the "Carolina Rice Plantation." Hiring the slaves to do
these jobs made the land more valuable in the long run.
There were other advantages to slavery in the 1600 and 1700's other
than working on the plantations.