Target 2: I can explain the institution of slavery in the South.
-Why it was used.
-Slave codes
-Consequences for the Northeast and South
Indentured Servants
The growth of tobacco, rice, and indigo and the plantation economy created a tremendous need for
labor in southern colonial America. Without the aid of modern machinery, human labor was necessary
for the planting, cultivation, and harvesting of these cash crops. While slaves existed in the English
colonies throughout the 1600s, indentured servitude was the method of choice employed by many
planters before the 1680s.
Each INDENTURED SERVANT would have his or her journey across the Atlantic paid in full by their
master. A contract was written that outlined the length of service — typically five years. The servant
would be supplied room and board while working for the master. Upon completion of the contract, the
servant would receive "freedom dues." This might include land, money, a gun for hunting, clothes, or
food. Only about 40 percent of indentured servants lived to complete the terms of their contracts.
The Growth of Slavery
The first African Americans in the colonies arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 on a Dutch trading
ship. They were not slaves but served their time as indentured servants until their obligations were
complete. As time went on, fewer indentured servants were coming to the colonies, but the need for a
labor force continued.
In 1661, Virginia became the first southern colony to legalize slavery. Other colonies soon followed. By
the 1700s, thousands of slaves were being brought to America from West Africa by slave traders. With
this ready supply of cheap labor, African slavery gradually replaced indentured servitude as the chief
means for plantation labor in the South.
Slavery existed in all of the American colonies in the 1700s, North and South. However, in the North,
economics and geography did not promote the need for slave importation like the plantation South.
Consequently, the slave population remained small compared to their southern neighbors. While laws
throughout the region recognized the existence of slavery, slaves were more frequently granted their
freedom, and opposition to the institution was more common, especially in Pennsylvania.
Slave Codes
Slaves did not accept their fate without protest. Many instances of REBELLION were known to
Americans, even in colonial times. These rebellions were not confined to the South. In fact, one of the
earliest examples of a slave UPRISING was in 1712 in Manhattan. As African Americans in the colonies
increased in number, there was an increasing fear on the part of the whites that a violent rebellion could
occur in one's own neighborhood. It was this fear of rebellion that led each colony to pass a series of
laws restricting slaves' behaviors. The laws were known as SLAVE CODES.
Although each colony had different ideas about the rights of slaves, there were some common threads
in slave codes across areas where slavery was common. Legally considered property, slaves were not
allowed to own property of their own. They were not allowed to assemble without the presence of a
white person. Slaves that lived off the plantation were subject to special curfews.
In the courts, a slave accused of any crime against a white person was doomed. No testimony could be
made by a slave against a white person. Therefore, the slave's side of the story could never be told in a
court of law. Of course, slaves could not serve on juries, vote, or hold political offices.
Slave codes had ruinous effects on African American society. It was illegal to teach a slave to read or
write, however, many devout white Christians educated slaves to enable the reading of the Bible. These
same Christians did not recognize marriage between slaves in their laws. This made it easier to justify
the breakup of families by selling one if its members to another owner.
As time passed and the numbers of slaves in America increased, so did the fears of their white owners.
With each new rebellion, the slave codes became ever more strict.
Consequences for the North and South
Southern states such as Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi were able to develop strong
economies that were directly based on the production and export of cotton and other commercial crops
like tobacco and rice. This led to an economic strength that made these states even more adamant
about defending their right to own slaves.
Northern states were also tied to slavery in their own way. Although the Northwest Ordinance
banned slavery in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, and slavery was abolished in the
remainder of the North by 1808, much of the wealth of the North was linked to the South. Northern
textile factories relied on cheap slave grown cotton. Northern workers feared that if slaves were set
free, that they would come north, accept lower pay and take their jobs. For these reasons, many
northerners were not willing to fight for an end to slavery.
Target 2 Questions
Why were slaves needed in the colonies (aka: the United States)?
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What is an indentured servant?
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Why were they replaced by Africans slaves?
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Why were slave codes created?
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Identify some examples of slave codes.
1. Not allowed to own_________________________
2. Not allowed to ______________________________
3. No _______________________ could be made against a ______________ _____________
4. It’s illegal to teach a slave to _____________ or ________________
5. _____________________ was not recognized between slaves.
Why was it so important for southern state to keep their slaves?
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How were northern states tied to slavery?
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