On Slavery in the Origins of American Slavery

On Slavery in the Origins of American Slavery

Slavery did not always have to do with race. Although, this is what many people think. In Betty Wood’s, The Origins Of American Slavery, she explores how slavery with West Africans came to be, and how slavery was not racial. In the beginning many slaves were anyone who was not Christian. Religion was more of an issue then race. Once slavery did come to be racial, however, New England seemed to need less slaves, and were in fact nicer to their slaves. In the Chesapeake slaves were treated much differently. Owners did not talk to or get to know their slaves. At the start of the seventeenth century it was not obvious that slavery would become racial, but there were signs in how people talked about Africans, as well as documents like the Body of Liberties. The differences between how New Englanders and people from the Chesapeake colonies treated their slaves are many, as well as the systems themselves.
Slavery in New England seemed to have more differences then similarities with slavery in the Chesapeake colonies. Slavery in New England did not, at first have to do with race. Some Africans were slaves in the beginning, but there were also people who were enslaved of other race because they were a certain religion. They

also enslaved people who seemed different to them. Puritans were having a tough time bringing these people in to there “Godly society (Slavery, 99).” People like the native Americans because they seemed “barbaric” and “uncivilized.” Although, people in New England believed the native Americans could become civilized. Despite this their treatment of the slaves was much better then that of the Chesapeake region. Puritans defined the use of slaves using the Bible. They used the “Judaic model of servitude (Slavery 105)” and applied it to their own situation. “…servants, or slaves, would fall somewhere between the Jewish servant and the gentle slave, somewhere between the indentured servant and chattel slave (Slavery...

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