Sunny Lam ( Quan)
History 11
Section#: 22833
13 May 2018
Why Are There Many Slave Rebellions And Indentured Servant Uprisings In The New World?
Since the population of native Indians was decreased and the production of goods rose in the New World, the need for labor source became a necessary factor in this new world. According to Give me Liberty, " Planters and government authorities had to be convinced that importing African slaves was the best way to solve their persistent shortage of labor" (Foner 103). During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, slaves and indentured servants both play important role in order to develop the colonial economy. These groups got different levels of respect and were treated badly. While the slaves and indentured servants thought the power of their masters dehumanized them was the reason of thousand of them have planned for the rebellions or uprisings to against those upper classes such as owner, master and so on.
Firstly, the slavery system was a great advantage to assist the economy. Slaves were not put free, they had less respect because they were not European or whites and they worked almost the same job as the indentured servants. Their work will not be pay anything nonetheless. During the late 17th century, slavery became more popular and they were bought for cheap prices and more easily. According to Give me Liberty, during the eighteen century, more than half of the Africans shipped to the New World as slaves were carried on British vessels" (Foner 137). And there were 300 slaves deported in the Jamestown Colony by 1648 (Colling 5/46). Slavery was also favored because they could be obliged to work by more violently. Zinn also states that all the slaves were captured from Africa, brought far from home and helpless would be useful for the colony ( Zinn 51). In Virginia during 1669, there was a law that said a slaveholder who kills slave can not be charged with a crime or the death of a slave especially Africans from master's punishment wasn't to be considered as a crime (Colling 5/50). It dues to the: "Racial distinctions were enacted into law from the outset" (Foner 105). As a result, "The death rate among slaves much higher" (Foner 102). Moreover, " In1643, a poll tax ( a tax levied on individuals) was imposed on African slaves but not white women" (Foner 105). Similar to the other types of possessions, "Slaves were property, completely subject to the will of their masters and, more generally of the white community"(Foner 108). Because they were one of the assets in a will, slaves were treated substantially aggravating than English colonists. As a result, "As African slaves, they could not claim the protection of English common law" (Foner 101). From this unequal treatment, it led many slaves rebelled in order to desire for freedom. For example, during eighteen century, blacks risked their life to resist enslavement by creating a first slave uprising happened in New York. They set fire to houses on ...
