Student Question
How did slavery differ in the northern and southern British colonies in the 17th century, and what factors shaped resistance strategies? How did "race" and "slavery" become synonymous? Did geography and climate affect slavery's development?
Quick answer:
In the 17th century, slavery in the northern colonies was influenced by the historical use of indentured servitude, leading to some belief in temporary servitude for slaves. In contrast, southern colonies relied heavily on slaves for agricultural labor on plantations, where isolation and lack of skill development were common. "Race" and "slavery" became synonymous as the institution grew. Geography and climate affected slavery's development, with the South's agriculture demanding more labor-intensive work.
In the seventeenth century, the attitudes toward slavery were already becoming quite distinctive in different geographical regions. The North was cognizant of the country's historical use of indentured servants; in fact, it is estimated that around half of the population of the original colonies consisted of those who had signed a contract to perform laborious tasks to pay off debt. The distinction between indentured servanthood and slavery is that indentured servants (at least to some degree) chose this path and were working toward freedom. Slaves, however, did not choose their circumstances and most often had no real hope that their position would change.
In the North, the attitudes toward indentured servants transferred to slaves, whose presence was growing in the area. Many believed that slaves should only be forced to "serve" without pay for a limited time, similar to the contracts of indentured servants. In New England, slaves initially were...
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given the same status as indentured servants, but the Massachusetts Bay Colony changed this in 1641. In the North, slaves commonly worked alongside professionals as "assistants" of sorts and learned specialized skills such as medicine or ministry.
In the South, by contrast, slaves often lived together in large communities on plantations where they remained isolated from other slaves. This sense of isolation was quite intentional, preventing slaves from acquiring skills of literacy or of any knowledge of the world beyond their plantation. Instead of learning specialized skills, Southern slaves performed agricultural labor, most often working an exhausting number of hours with very little time to rest. Their provisions from plantation to plantation differed, but generally speaking, they were given only what was needed to survive. Some enslaved women worked indoors, assisting with household tasks; most of the labor, however, was needed to farm and harvest vast tobacco and rice farms.
It was in New England that attitudes toward slavery really began to shift throughout the latter part of the eighteenth century, and it was in Connecticut and Rhode Island where active human trafficking would first be outlawed. The North had an early vision that enslaved people should be able to work toward freedom, and those views continued to spread and grow over time.
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