A Central Theme

The past is never dead. It's not even past. -William Faulkner

We need to look closely at our past because it still lives

with us today and heavily influences what we do, think,
and say. Today, we will be looking at this intersection of
the past and present in both history and fiction.

As we learn about the beginning of race slavery, take notes

and think about how what happened in the past still
influences in our world today.
 The Birth of Race Slavery
Like most huge changes, the imposition of hereditary race slavery was
gradual, taking hold by degrees over many decades. It proceeded
slowly, in much the same way that winter follows fall. On any given
day, in any given place, people can argue about local weather
conditions. Is it getting colder? Will it warm up again this week?
The shift may come early in some places, later in others. But eventually,
it occurs all across the land. By January, people shiver and think back to
September, agreeing that it is definitely colder now. In 1700, a 70-
year-old African American could look back half a century to 1650 and
shiver, knowing that conditions had definitely changed for the worse.
Peter Wood
 Early European Concept of Race
Before 1650, Europeans would likely not have know
what someone meant if they talked about black
and white people.
Instead they tended to focus on the distinction
between Christian and heathen.
Of course, there were stereotypes about Africans (like
that they were jealous or barbarous), but they were
not seen as inherently inferior or a different race.
This can be seen in Shakespeares Othello, where an
African general leads an army for Venice, talks with
eloquence, and marries a Italian noblewoman.
 American Slavery Without Race?
Early America did have slavery, but the justification for owning
slaves was different. The original the justification for enslaving
Africans and Native Americans was based on the Mediterranean
tradition that persons of a different religion or persons captured in
war could be enslaved.
Further, slaves in early America were commonly allowed to own
property, had a number of personal rights, could earn small wages
(which often led to buying their freedom), and their children were
born free.
During this period, there are a number of stories of slaves buying
their freedom and becoming moderately rich and influential.
 A Shift
Around 1650, a number of factors came together that led to a shift in
slaverys justification from religious to racial.
A civil war, plague, and the Great London Fire decimated the English
population, which led to a dramatic decrease in Englishmen coming
to the New World.
Harsher penalties were imposed on sea captains who grabbed kids in
England and sold them in the colonies as indentured servants. (This
common practice was given a new name: kidnapping.)
Worker rebellions (of Europeans and Africans) began to grow more
common.
Cash crops exploded in the New World.
 A Shift Continued
The result of all these factors was that wealthy planters
were desperate for as many workers as possible (so they
could exploit the popularity of cash crops) and terrified
that their labor would dry-up, rebel, or be freed through
conversion. The result was that they began to subtly create
the idea of justifying enslavement of Africans because they
were an inferior race.
 How the Changed Happened
Slowly the idea of racial inferiority was legislated into existence. For
example
In 1664, a Maryland statute specified that Christian baptism
could have no effect upon the legal status of a slave.
In 1655, Virginia officials said 1655: By the Comon Law the
Child of a Woman slave begot by a freeman ought to bee free. In
1662, they revised that to: A child borne in this country shal be
held bond or free only according to the condition of the mother.
Future laws limited interracial marriage, property rights, and
legal rights until two different legal codes existed.
 The Results
Increasingly, the English and other Europeans
came to view Africans not as heathen people
but as black people.
During this shift, many Europeans began to view
black people as inherently inferior.
This shift also broke apart the bonds that working
class Europeans and Africans had. Interracial
marriage and worker rebellions comprised of
both Europeans and Africans largely stopped.
The end result was the race-based slavery system
that you appeared to be much more familiar with.
 Reflect
At the end of your notes, draw a
line and reflect on the following:
How does what happened
during the creation of race
slavery still impact our world
today?
 Reflect Part II
What from the story connects to
our world today?