Slavery in the New England Colonies
Conversations about slavery in America frequently center on the American South and the Civil War. Yet the roots of American slavery go much deeper than that. They extend all the way back to the original British colonies in North America. Some, like New England, would become known for their abolitionist leaders. They fought against slavery and helped freed and escaped Southern slaves. However, the New England colonies also had a history of using slave labor to build their economies.
The Origins Of American Slavery
The concept of slavery was hardly a new one to the English colonists who first came to America. It had been practiced in Europe for more than 100 years. In 1619, colonists brought enslaved Africans to Virginia (in Jamestown). This was the beginning of a slave trade between Africa and North America based on the social norms of Europe.
Slavery grew quickly in the South because of the region's large plantations. However, slavery in New England was different. New England did not have large plantations for growing crops. Here, it was more common to have one or two enslaved people working for a household, business or small farm. Enslaved people often learned special skills and crafts.
New England's Forced Laborers
Part of the reason slavery developed differently in New England was the culture of indentured servitude. This practice also came from England. Indentured servants were often white Europeans working to pay off money they owed. Usually, they had signed a contract to work for four to seven years. More than half of the population of the American colonies was brought over as indentured servants.
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Enslaved Africans quickly replaced indentured servants on plantations in Virginia, Maryland and other Southern colonies. However, that was not the case in New England. At first, enslaved people here had the same rights as indentured servants. That changed in 1641. That year, the Massachusetts Bay Colony passed new slave laws. As a result, enslaved people in the colony lost the few rights they had.
Still, the New England colonies began to show differences in how they dealt with slavery. This was true even as slavery became more common in some colonies. For example, Rhode Island tried to enforce laws that would have given certain rights to enslaved people. That colony would have set enslaved people free after 10 years of service. These actions did not bring an end to slavery. However, they were a sign of what was to come in the New England colonies.
Becoming The "Free North"
The use of slavery throughout the colonies continued to grow throughout the 1700s. As time passed, the colonies moved closer to revolution against England. There was a growing trend of questioning slavery in New England. Enslaved people who fought in the Revolutionary War were offered their freedom. As a result, the number of freed slaves in the region grew.
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However, few colonial leaders wanted to fully get rid of slavery at the time. It was not until late into the Revolutionary War period that the former New England colonies began outlawing slavery fully. Vermont was first, followed by Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island. By 1800, all New England states were "free" states.
Adapted from https://newsela.com/read/natgeo-new-england-slavery/id/50427/.
The Origins Of American Slavery
The concept of slavery was hardly a new one to the English colonists who first came to America. It had been practiced in Europe for more than 100 years. In 1619, colonists brought enslaved Africans to Virginia (in Jamestown). This was the beginning of a slave trade between Africa and North America based on the social norms of Europe.
Slavery grew quickly in the South because of the region's large plantations. However, slavery in New England was different. New England did not have large plantations for growing crops. Here, it was more common to have one or two enslaved people working for a household, business or small farm. Enslaved people often learned special skills and crafts.
New England's Forced Laborers
Part of the reason slavery developed differently in New England was the culture of indentured servitude. This practice also came from England. Indentured servants were often white Europeans working to pay off money they owed. Usually, they had signed a contract to work for four to seven years. More than half of the population of the American colonies was brought over as indentured servants.
...
Enslaved Africans quickly replaced indentured servants on plantations in Virginia, Maryland and other Southern colonies. However, that was not the case in New England. At first, enslaved people here had the same rights as indentured servants. That changed in 1641. That year, the Massachusetts Bay Colony passed new slave laws. As a result, enslaved people in the colony lost the few rights they had.
Still, the New England colonies began to show differences in how they dealt with slavery. This was true even as slavery became more common in some colonies. For example, Rhode Island tried to enforce laws that would have given certain rights to enslaved people. That colony would have set enslaved people free after 10 years of service. These actions did not bring an end to slavery. However, they were a sign of what was to come in the New England colonies.
Becoming The "Free North"
The use of slavery throughout the colonies continued to grow throughout the 1700s. As time passed, the colonies moved closer to revolution against England. There was a growing trend of questioning slavery in New England. Enslaved people who fought in the Revolutionary War were offered their freedom. As a result, the number of freed slaves in the region grew.
...
However, few colonial leaders wanted to fully get rid of slavery at the time. It was not until late into the Revolutionary War period that the former New England colonies began outlawing slavery fully. Vermont was first, followed by Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island. By 1800, all New England states were "free" states.
Adapted from https://newsela.com/read/natgeo-new-england-slavery/id/50427/.
What Was It Like to Be a Slave During the Revolution?
Many fought for the British...
"Most of them [fought] because they had no choice: their masters forced them to to take their spot in the army. However, ... concerns focused on the glaring temptation that many enslaved Africans and black Americans faced as the British Army had promised any slave their freedom in trade for their service in His Majesty’s army. The British also encouraged slaves to run away because they wanted to remove skilled slaves from American hands. Enslaved people were often trained and very talented in carpentry, masonry, as blacksmiths, shoemakers, seamstresses, bakers, and distillers. Many slaves in Maryland and Virginia used their knowledge of the tidal regions of the Chesapeake Bay to evade capture from their masters. Others, such as a free man named Jerry, were arrested for giving weapons to escaped slaves in support of the British. When South Carolina Royal Governor William Campbell protested his death sentence, an angry mob threatened hanging Jerry on his front doorstep. A man named Tye became a raider for New Jersey Loyalists around Monmouth, employing about 25 men of all nationalities. Tye’s Black Brigade was very successful until being gunned down by Captain Joshua Huddy, who defended his house from being plundered. Huddy single-handedly put down the raiders and kept his house. Not all enslaved people took the British at their word. While it was generally believed within circles of enslaved people that the British offered the better opportunity of freedom from bondage, others refused to leave their plantations. Some stayed behind even after their masters had left, and refused to leave when British forces descended upon the vacant properties. Many recognized that Loyalist citizens owned slaves too. British officers were also known to acquire captured slaves for themselves. Even still, tens of thousands of enslaved people escaped their masters and crossed the British lines. Seldom few would actually see action in the British army. The majority of African slaves who fled to the British were given non-military jobs with the army. These were usually manual labor positions that saw breastworks built and trenches dug. Indeed, the work experience that enslaved individuals brought with them proved formidable for British commanders who found useful methods of employing them. While a majority of the men were put to manual labor, others were given military training and armed with muskets. In 1779, the southern British army armed 200 slaves to defend Savannah, Georgia. Other former slaves in British uniforms fought in Virginia in 1781." Excerpted from: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/african-american-service-during-revolution |
But some fought for the Patriots...
The 1st Rhode Island Regiment was an assembled unit in the Continental Army that has been documented as having a large and visible body of African-American soldiers within its ranks. Best remembered for their efforts to repel Hessian advancements during the Battle of Rhode Island in 1778, they were eld by Maj. Gen. James Mitchell Varnum. Estimates indicate that between 120-140 soldiers out of 250 were black. Though integrated like nearly all other Continental regiments, the 1st Rhode Island is remembered for employing slaves and freedmen before it was approved by Congress and Gen. Washington. Up until 1778, the Continental Army did not allow African-Americans to serve. Seeing this, Lord Dunmore issued his proclamation in 1775, enticing African-Americans, enslaved and free, to join the British. Washington did an about-face, but the states were still reluctant to arm African-Americans. This changed at the state level as 1778 saw huge shortages in enlistments from local townships. To fill their quotas, they began allowing enslaved people and free African-Americans to enlist. In return, slaves were promised their freedom for their service. By 1781, the Continental army was noted as being nearly one-forth African-American at Yorktown. Regiments were not segregated, and a German officer marveled at the professionalism and dress attire of America’s first black soldiers. One well-known African-American Patriot was James Forten...
James Forten is perhaps the most successful African-American in the early decades of the United States. Born free in Philadelphia, he was inspired as a boy when he heard the new Declaration of Independence read aloud in July 1776. Raised with a healthy work ethic and educated by abolitionist Quakers, Forten enlisted on an American privateer at age 14. Captured by the British, he evaded being sold into slavery by impressing the British captain with his skills and knowledge. He was instead treated as a prisoner of war and sent to the infamous prison ship HMS Jersey. 11,000 Americans died aboard the disease infested prison ships anchored in the New York Harbor during the war. Forten was paroled after seven months and joined a merchant ship where he spent years at sea. When he returned to Philadelphia, he took a job working for a shipping company owned by a family friend. Forten quickly learned how to make sails and riggings for tall ships. When the chance came to buy the company in 1798, Forten did so and revolutionized the industry. Soon, he became one of the wealthiest individuals in Philadelphia. Forten employed both black and white workers and sought to improve the conditions of American society. He used his talents and influence to promote the abolitionist movement in the United States. Excerpted from: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/african-american-service-during-revolution |