Thursday, December 6, 2012

Let's Reflect: Learning from "Before the Mayflower" Af. Am.

How did Whites justify Black enslavement? What was life like on the Plantation? 

23 comments:

Charell Simmons said...

At one point black immigrants were not slaves. So blacks and whites, walked amongst each other freely, and were equal. They even said at one point an African king shook hands with a white man and there was nothing wrong with it. But blacks population was growing so fast, there was no line drew to separate them. On the plantation fields everything was equal, the way they got treated; they shared huts so it in a way everything kind of came together with them.

Unknown said...

Whites initially created enslavement or as they call it "indentured servitude" for the sole purpose, economic stimulus. This provided ways for the server to pay off debts, apprentice, and so on, most importantly a way for the master to get free labor. That seemed to be the central idea. It then became a matter of black enslavement when Whites came to the realization and conclusion that the black race was the best man for the job, so to speak. Blacks were faster, stronger, and lasted longer than not only Indians but the Europeans themselves. They were the ideal subject of slavery. They justified this rationalization by two approaches. The first being they needed to make money which translates to power. This was the most imperative reason and quite frankly all the reasoning they needed at the time. They then brought on the Eurocentric themed idea of superiority over the black race. Blacks were then viewed as inferior and not fully human a sub-human race not worthy of equal rights. Plantation life for slaves was relentless. They worked from sunrise to sunset and were given minute breaks during the day. During this time they would socialize forming family ties. Most of their work consisted of field work.

Ashley Thomas said...

Whites justified black enslavement by giving it a different name. The Whites called it "indentured servitude," which meant to be in debt for a period of time. The Blacks had "owed the Europeans," so they had to work it off in the fields.

Life on the plantation was tiring. The blacks worked from morning to night and had few breaks. Most of the work was related to working out on the fields.

Racism originated in Virginia when two white men and one white man was convicted of running away from the plantation. The two white men were given a few more years, but the black man was given life. This shows how racism was started in the United States.

Cassidy Klement said...

When the first Blacks arrived in America, they were not slaves. Instead, the system of "indentured servitude" was created, in which both poor Blacks and Whites "sell their services for a stipulated number of years to planters" (Bennett, 35). However, the Blacks who were not poor lived in the colonies, equal to the whites. In the 1660s, the rulers of the colonies first tried Native American Indian slavery, then White slavery. As the Indians knew the land, they could escape and hide, and the Whites "were under protection of recognized governments: they could appeal to a monarch or to white public opinions... they could escape and blend into the crowd" (Bennett, 45). So the rulers turned to African slavery. The Africans, according to the colonial rulers, had other advantages, such as they were strong, inexpensive, and they couldn't blend into the crowd.

On the plantations, both male and female slaves worked on the fields under their master (on smaller plantations) or an overseer (on larger plantations). They worked all day long with short breaks to eat and rest.

Unknown said...

When blacks first came to America they were not slaves. The whites created "indentured servitude" which means that the blacks worked for the masters for free. The blacks and poor whites both worked on the fields together including men and women. They worked from morning until night time and with a few breaks. During that time the blacks and whites liked each other and there was no racism at the time.

Unknown said...

Whites justified black enslavement by bringing forth indentured servitude, where whites and blacks worked together to sell their services for a number of years. Indentured servants were full of freedom of motion and assembly. Because of this blacks and whites were seen somewhat equal and even able to live in colonies together. This gave the indentured servants some rights. Like the right to marry , and legal protection against their masters and had the right to hold property. But blacks were still seen as inferior because of their appearance and they weren't to pricey.... Life on the plantation wasn't the best there was barely breaks for the workers to eat and rest, and on the field they weren't viewed as equal. race and gender was the change because White women required to work on the fields belonged to the lowest rank. White women were also flogged at whipping posts, and completely mistreated

Unknown said...

Whites justified black enslavement by using another term "indentured servitude". Which meant "They had almost full freedom of motion and assembly". They could do certain things that others could too. such as they were allowed to marry and "they had a right to acquire and hold property". Life on the plantation was tough they worked long hours and barely had any breaks.

Yazmeen said...

America needed a workforce to satisfy the demand for sugar and tobacco. At first, "rulers of the colonies were not overly scrupulous about the color or national origin of the workforce" (Lerone Bennett, Jr., page 44). They tried to enslave Indians and even white men and women, but eventually chose to use Africans. They reasoned that Africans were inexpensive, could not blend in, and were not protected. Whites created the idea of their racial superiority over blacks. Although poor whites once worked with blacks as indentured servants, they went along with the idea; it was a chance for them to feel more powerful.

African slaves worked as agricultural laborers on fields. Some slaves worked on small farms with their masters, while others worked on large estates under a white overseer. These slaves could hold occupations on the plantation, such as carpenter or shoemaker. Other slaves worked on low-country plantations, which were located in hot, breeze-less areas. Many died from exhaustion and heat. Although the work was brutal, slaves still tried to maintain their identities. They passed down their music, folk tales, cooking, and even religion to other generations. They tried to keep their African culture alive.

Chelsea Sainte said...

In the beginning, blacks were indentured servants as well as whites.Indentured servitude was debt that people had to work off in fields over certain amount time. As time progressed on blacks were beginning to become more reliable and useful for Europeans justify slavery because blacks were at disadvantages. Plantation experience for blacks was different depending on the region they were enslaved located. Some were cruel others was fair, but one thing they all had in common is that blacks work sun up to sun down with minimum breaks. Origins of race or racism started to occur when blacks were revoke of their rights to participate in the society. For example, "It was not until 1723, in fact, that blacks were denied the right to vote...not only did pioneer blacks vote, but they also held public office" I choose this example because it shows how racism started to happened.

Natalia Lopez said...

"The first black immigrants were not slaves.They came the same way that most of the first white immigrants came -under duress and pressure" (pg.35).Whites then created indentured servitude, which meant that slaves worked for their debts.Blacks and whites worked on the same fields and they developed "strong bonds of sympathy and mutuality"."Blacks in New York stood on the same footing as white indentured servants from the very beginning"(pg.41).

Unknown said...

Whites justified black enslavement by enforcing " indentured servitude " , which meant to work for free of charge. in this time , black immigrants weren't always slaves. Indians and Europeans were also. It wasn't until they noticed that blacks were stronger , faster , and lasted longer unlike Indians , that died off faster due to sickness or diseases in the air they could not adapt too. As far as life on the plantations it was tough. Slaves worked from sunrise to sunset with only few breaks. Men and women worked together on the fields.

Unknown said...

Whites justified black enslavement by introducing indentured servitude. Indentured servitude is when blacks as well as whites worked for their planters for a certain amount of years. Something like "paying off their debt." During this time blacks and whites seemed to be equal. Both races experienced a tough time on the plantation, doing harsh work with minimum breaks.

Kimberly Jeffreys said...

Whites justified Black enslavement as indentured servitude. An indentured servent was a black or white who selled their services for a stipulated number of years to planters to pay off their trip to America.(Before the Mayflower pg.35). But not only did Whites justify this, also did Blacks, in the passage "Before the Mayflower" it tells you Blacks owned lands containing indentured servants (pg 35). Slavery did not begin until the demanding of sugar and tobacco came along.

Life on the plantation was exhausting. Indentured servants woke up in the morning and worked all day with short breaks. But living wise Whites and Blacks were treated equally. They lived together, ate together, played together, mated and married eachother.(pg 41)

The origin of race nd racism came along with the demand of sugar and tobacco. Blacks showed to be more reliable nd harder workers than the Whites and also became cheaper because of the assembly of the plantation society. On page 45 of "Before the Mayflower" it says, "Socioeconomic forces- a worldwide demand for suger and tobacco nd the developement of capitalist planting techniques based on the use of gng labor- tilted the structure in the direction of black slavery."

Bianca Harris said...

Whites justified slavery by attempting to give it a different name which was "indentured servitude" which was the process of repaying a debt through the act of serving someone who's philanthropy paid for their voyage to America. Indentured servitude was multiracial and was completed over a certain number of years. They also tried to justify this by instilling the idea that the African race was inferior to the white race. Life on the plantation was exhausting work and seemed endless performed daily for hours on end.

Aissetou Diawara said...

Whites justified black enslavement as indentured servitude. Which was used before slavery came along for whites and blacks to pay off their debts.As time went on they begun to abuse the system and started taking advantage of people. The demand for labor mainly caused black enslavement in the colonies. "The developement of large-scale sugar planting created a demand for men that casual kidnapping couldn't supply".(pg.34).Therefore,the best choice for Europeans were the blacks."They tried Indian slavery, and they also tried to enslave white men and women".(pg, 44). Blacks din't have the disadvantages other races had, they were strong, inexpensive, and their skin color made them visible.Plantation life for slaves was difficult they barely had any breaks and they often worked long hours.

Vera D. said...

White's justified enslavement through indentured servitude.Indentured servitude was a process in which servers (black, white Indian) could pay off any of their debts(Bennett 35. However it became a matter of enslavement when the Rich white men realized that blacks were the cheapest labor and could do three times the work as Indians and were more valuable than whites. So they would keep them as indentured slaves even after all their debts were paid.

Life on the Plantation was many things. As an indentured servants all were treated the same.All the servants no matter their backgrounds were considered human, recognized and protected by the law and some even owned land. The plantation works was hard. The servants had to work long hours from early in the morning to late at night with very few breaks in between(Mayflower 41).

Race and Racism started to merge with greed. When blacks were recognized to be highly more profitable than any other types of people. They started to be viewed differently.One may say racism really started in Virginia when two white men and a black man were convicted of running away from their plantation. The two white men were sentenced to a few years in jail, but the black man was given life.

Unknown said...

The first black immigrants were not slaves, they were initially called " indentured servitude" was created, in which both poor blacks and Whites " sell their services for a stipulated number of years to planters." (Bennett, 35). This meant that the blacks had freedom but worked to pay off their debts. The whites and blacks were equal and lived in the same colonies. They were allowed to marry and "they had a right to acquire and hold property". Then they learned that the blacks did a better job at the labor. They were stronger and worked longer hours.
Life on the plantation was long and baring. The blacks worked long hours mostly morning to night with a minimiun of breaks. The Whites thought they were strong and could bare the long hours on the field. On the plantation they did mostly work in the field.

Unknown said...

Whites approached slaves as indentured servitude. Before slavery grew, blacks as well as whites were indentured slaves. "They came, these first blacks, the same way that most of the first white immigrants came -- under duress and pressure. They found a system (indentured servitude) which enabled poor whites to come to America and sell their services for a stipulated number of years to planters." (Bennett, 35). Slowly afterward, slavery emerged. Europeans realized that Africans were the "ideal" slave. They then captured them also realizing it would save much more money to own a slave so that all their hard work could be put on them with no pay. Owning slaves made the Europeans feel more powerful.

Life on plantation was very hard. Slaves worked on small plantations with their masters or on larger plantations with a white overseer. There were barely any breaks. Some slaves died of weakness. Men did the hard work such as harvesting, women did the less hard of the work and children would be trained.

Brianna Ricks said...

Whites justified black enslavement by enforcing indentured servitude. Indentured servitude consisted of whites and blacks until around the 1960's when various laws were passed which discriminated against those with colored skin. Since those laws didn't apply to whites, it gave them a sense of power over blacks.

Blacks were chosen to be slaves as apose to whites or indians because they seemed to be a better option. at first , the rulers of the colonies tried Indian slavery and white slavery, both didnt work. they eventually discovered that it was easier to enslave blacks because they were stronger, inexpensive, and if they tried to run away it would be easier to identify them. Blacks were also the better option because "Indians tended to sicken and die under conditions of slavery." (Before the Mayflower, page 45)

Life on the plantation consisted of tedious work and short breaks. They often worked from sunrise to sunset and, as a result of the harsh conditions, some slaves became ill or died.

Amirah Ali said...

Enslavement was introduced by "indentured servitude". This was , in my opinion, a way to introduce how the slavery would be in the New World. With indentured servitude, blacks (and whites)would be enslaved for a period of years as a way to pay off their voyage debt. Indentured servants,whether white or black, were equal. They ate, lived, and interacted with each other. This was one of the few times blacks and whites were viewed equally in the New World.

Unknown said...

whites that were from virginia used black enslavement as a way to relieve debt. So africans had to first work as servants then masters later grew fond of the power that ownership gave them. White masters used african slaves rather the early system of indian, white, and african servants because unlike the indians, they didn't die off quickly and they came in large numbers and unlike the white servants, they were cheaper for labor. Life on the plantation went from being, clustered as one group of low class people (everyone together where there was family and social relationships and master and servant relationships) to groups becoming strickly african and not free willed.

Asia Summers said...

White people created enslavement as a way to get out of dept by using the labor of others. Life was rough on the plantation, the beatings and food were horrible. People were made a lesson out of by being beaten on front of other slaves. They did this to try and strike fear into the slaves. It was a foolish time.

Asia Summers said...

White people created enslavement as a way to get out of dept by using the labor of others. Life was rough on the plantation, the beatings and food were horrible. People were made a lesson out of by being beaten on front of other slaves. They did this to try and strike fear into the slaves. It was a foolish time.