Slavery in the colonial United States

Quick Facts: Who was Slavery in the colonial United States?

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Slavery in the colonial United States

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The development of chattel slavery in British America, evolving from indentured servitude.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The institution of slavery in the colonies of British America developed through a combination of factors, but primarily from a boom in industrialized agriculture and the early existence of large slave labor populations on nearby European-colonized Caribbean islands. Before the 1650s, however, African-based industrial slavery had not developed within the colonies. During this time, Native Americans were the main target for servitude by British American colonists. By the 1650s, several Southern colonies were known to have begun enslaving both local Native Americans and African Americans for work on industrial plantations. As indigenous peoples suffered massive population losses due to imported diseases, Europeans turned to the importation of African slaves, initially, from European-owned West Indies (Caribbean) sugar plantations, primarily to work on tobacco, rice or indigo plantations.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Ancient methods of European slavery and racist ideologies were handed down to the British American colonies shortly after agriculture became industrialized in the South. Most African American colonists eventually succumbed to slavery and were legally defined by hereditary traits as chattels of property. There was a period of about 50 years during which industrialized slavery was mostly absent from the colonies. The 1587 Roanoke Colony attempt by around 112 English colonists on a Virginia island was found abandoned in 1590. Jamestown was the second English colony, founded in 1606 by around 214 colonists.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The first documented Africans to arrive in English America first lived in Jamestown and were captured from a slave ship and transported on the frigate known as the White Lion in August 1619. The Virginia colonists traded provisions to obtain the Africans. The two early colonists are described in the 1624 census as an African man and woman named Antoney and Isabella. Most early European colonists were indentured laborers who signed away their freedom to an English investment company known as the Virginia Company. Many were escaping famine and debt in Europe and paid their way to the "New World" by entering into contracted servitude for a paid ticket to America.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1587: 1587 Milestone — The 1587 Roanoke Colony attempt by around 112 English colonists on a Virginia island was found abandoned in 1590.
2. 1606: 1606 Milestone — Jamestown was the second English colony, founded in 1606 by around 214 colonists.
3. 1619: 1619 Milestone — The first documented Africans to arrive in English America first lived in Jamestown and were captured from a slave ship and transported on the frigate known as the White Lion in August 1619.
4. 1624: 1624 Milestone — The two early colonists are described in the 1624 census as an African man and woman named Antoney and Isabella.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Slavery in the colonial United States

True or False: “The initial labor force in the early English colonies was composed entirely of enslaved Africans arriving via the White Lion.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Initially, most early European colonists were indentured laborers who signed away their freedom to companies like the Virginia Company.

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