To support our visualization of “Trans-Atlantic slavery" we watched the first episode of Africans in America.
Slavery and freedom existed side by side in this country. What contradictions
do you see in this episode, The Terrible
Transformation?
Use this blog as a space to reflect together. What is the “terrible transformation” that
names this episode? What is your reaction to it? What implications does it have
for America today? The second video from Tim Wise might inspire more conversation.
52 comments:
The "terrible transformation" is the beginning of "racialization" of slavery. It was the shifting of the idea of those who were enslaved were non-Christian to those who were enslaved were non-white. In the beginning of the settlement of Jamestown, I did not think that the system of having indentured servants was bad. It was a fair trade; the servants received passage to the Americas and the masters had a labor force. People could build themselves up after they were released from servitude, such as Antonio (Anthony). After he was released, he owned land and had the same privileges of Englishmen. However, this all changed in the 1640s. By this time, states were beginning to acknowledge slavery as an institution. I felt so disgusted at the contradiction this was. In 1607 colonists started Jamestown with the dream of a land without oppression, and every man to be equal. It is so ironic that about 30 years later, they would be the ones to oppress people.
I agree with Elizabeth because the "terrible transformation" was the start of slavery based on the color of your skin. The first slaves were not African. At first the servants were shipped to America and once their servitude to there masters was complete they were given food and land to have a free life. Until the 1660's the servants began to rebel. Also, free people were being sold into slavery. For example Anthony Johnson was a servant that became a free man, but sold into slavery and disappeared from the record books and dehumanized.
I agree with what Elizabeth Cheng said about how the "terrible transformation" is the beginning of "racialization" of slavery. People who were known as slaves when they were brought to America were classified as just black. After you're released, just like Anthony Johnson was, you has to build a life for yourself in a place that is completely foreign to you. The enslaved Africans were looked at as strangers and outsiders when they came to the Americas. The slaves were owned and controlled by wealthy Englishmen who had them work all day and night in the blazing sun and other extreme conditions. Before trading humans as slaves, gold was the huge product that was being traded. So humans were only valuable for the work that they produce and nothing more, which I find terrible.
The " Terrible Transformation " was the sudden change in which people recognized slavery as a legal institution. The change which people started to see Africans as aliens. The white people considered nonwhites and non-Christians to be slaves. The "Terrible Transformation" was the beginning of "racialization" of slavery (1640s). Like Anthony who was an African had a wife and many acres of land. He was a free man after being released but after he moved to Maryland his land was taken because they considered him to be an alien.
I believe it to be the start of racism and I could understand that there would be an origin to racism.
This start of "racialization" has an impact on America today, but before America was like it is now, this thought of separating races was already rooted in their system. This idea of "racialization" had been implanted before America was even founded.
The "Terrible Transformation" is the beginning of radicalization and slavery. The people who were slaves brought to America were known as "black people". After they let you go just like they let Anthony Johnson go you had to find your way and build your own life by yourself. When the Africans came to America there were the strangers. All the salves were owned by English men. They had them working all day, didn't matter what kind of weather it was. They first started trading gold but not that they had slaves they traded the slaves instead. All the slaves in America were used for the work they could do, nothing more than that.
I agree with Elizabeth as well. In Jamestown they were just considered indentured servents but once they got to the Americas, they were forced into a life of slavery. The color of a persons skin determined if he or she had freedom or would become a slave. Once africans arrived in the Americas many died of famine and illness. The slaves were traded off and there masters made them work till points of exhaustion. I think Anthony Johnsons story is remarkable. He escaped being a slave in America. He was an african servant who got to own his own piece of land in 1640. He married a woman named Mary and had four kids with her. Not many africans got this oppurtunity, he was very fortunate.
Just as Elizabeth said, the "terrible transformation" that the video talks about is how slavery was racialized to the point that being a slave was based purely on race. The definition of a slave went from only non-Christians, to only non- Whites. Originally there was the system of indentured servants, who would work until they gained their freedom because by British law, Christians could not be slaves. As more and more indentured servants became free, the idea of slavery became much more appealing to people because slaves would mean permanent servitude. Soon, Africans were seen as aliens by Englishmen, and eventually became the target of slavery as the English changed their law. This would deny Africans from having their own land or being free, like Anthonio, an African that was an indentured servant, experienced.
Many contradictions appeared as slavery was racialized. The Jamestown ideal was "free land built by free men", yet they went along with slavery. John Locke, a philosopher of liberty, once supported the Royal African Company in the slave trade. These are only some of the contradictions made by people then.
The Terrible Transformation was the transformation from America being a place where free enterprise and equality could endure to it being a place of constant manipulation by using one's race against them. My reaction to this video is that of horror, but not necessarily of shock. But, the thing that hurts me the most is that racism is not stale. The paradoxical nature of freedom and slavery being side by side in this country hasn't gone away, either. Successful black people like Anthony Johnson lived, and still live, in the same country as poverty-stricken black people. Other contradictions in this is the fact that after so much talk of equality, in legal terms, some white people weren't even on par with each other. In the beginning, most poor people, including whites, were in servitude. However, after they left the rich offered land if they agreed to be taskmasters or watchmen over the new slaves of color. The manipulation came into play in the 1630s and 1640s because whites were convinced that they were on the receiving end of the deal. They thought that if they were still in servitude blacks would have all the jobs, when in reality, poor whites got the short straw because instead of paying people for jobs the elite would just but slaves one time to do their bidding for a lifetime with no extra costs.
The "terrible transformation" in the video were people starting as endured servants, which were anyone working to pay off any debt or crime. Then over time they transformed into African slaves just because they were African and dark. Today in class Ronnie posed a question "While this transformation was happening, how come no one tried to stop it?" I thought it was a very good question because I was thinking the same.
The video talked mainly about two African American slaves.The first was Antonio Johnson, he was an endured servant that served his time and became got married, had children, and became very successful in accumulating a lot of land. The second was Olaudah Equiano, he was a slave brought over through the middle passage. He later wrote a book talking about slavery and writing about his experience as a slave. Comparing these two I really saw the transformation and really understood the "terrible transformation".
The video "A Terrible Transformation: The Origin of Race," is symbolic of the change in slavery over time. This "terrible transformation" represents the beginning of racism and "racialization." In the beginning of the 17th century, slaves were treated equal regardless of their skin color. They were seen as indentured servants who could eventually be freed. Slavery was an equal agreement, they were given respect and rights. Many slaves became extremely successful in society afterwards. An exact example of this is Anthony Johnson. After serving his years as a slave, he eventually came to own his own property.
However, around the 1640's, the values and characteristics of slavery began to change. Now slavery applied to those who were non-white, rather than those who were non-Christian. This idea changed how slaves were treated and how they were viewed. Slaves were stripped of their rights and accustomed to harsh physical treatments. I think that it is scary to think about how much things can change in such a small amount of time, for example, as the slave trade.
As previously stated by other students, the "terrible transformation" was the transformation of the Africans from being indentured servants to slaves for life. The Europeans saw the Africans the same way they saw as Native Americans: as savages. The Europeans grew to hate the Africans, solely because of their skin color. Suddenly, slavery was not only about profit, but racial discrimination. The dehumanization of the Africans would set the course for American history. If the Africans were not dehumanized, slavery probably would have been abolished much sooner, along with civil rights and such. I find all of this, obviously, terrible and really disturbing.
The "terrible transformation" is the beginning of "racialization" which to me is slavery based on the color of your skin. People who were known as slaves back then when they were brought to America were classified as just black and nothing else. However the first slaves were not African Americans. In Jamestown they were just considered indentured servants but once they got to the Americas, they were forced into a life of slavery. After they let you go just like they let Anthony Johnson go you would had to find your way around and build your own life upon yourself. You were a stranger and you knew none. You would have been clueless about your surroundings. Once the Africans arrived in the Americas many of them had died because of being famine and because of an illness. All the slaves were owned by English men and the English men had you working hard all day. They didn’t care what kind of conditions it was like out, you had to work. It could have been 120 degrees and they would still have you working. It could have been below freezing and you had to work. Slaves back then didn’t have coats or clothes to adapt to their surrounds some would just have a cloth around their hips and nothing else. The slave’s masters made them work till points of exhaustion. The first thing that the people used to do was trade gold, once they got bored and had no more gold to sell they started to sell and trade slaves.
The idea of "The Terrible Transformation" is all about the change that took place in American trade, where it became purely a race based system of slavery. American enterprise and production relied heavily on slavery, and more specifically black slavery. I agree with the way Winter described "the terrible transformation", and what it was as well. My reaction to this video wasn't really shock, or suprize because we have been analyzing this idea of Trans-Atlantic slavery and I was already familiar with it. I think this video had a good way of explaining slavery becoming racialized, and how that transitioned into the idea of racism. I actually found the Tim Wise video very interesting. The idea that Europeans never really refered to themselves as white until they began to develop racism was interesting. He described the process of taking the poor Europeans, and working class Americans that were indentured servants at one point and utilizing them to help get free labor from slaves. There was a lot of manipulation that went on from the higher class, and they used race as their tool. Being white became empowering and gave people power over others merely because of their race. I do thing the transformation and development of "racialization" has implications in society today. I do thin that the idea of the elite class manipulating the lower class still has relevance. Politicians always use taxes and their power to keep the poor class poor and the upper class rich. I think the whole idea is interesting and do see the connection to racism in general.
The "terrible transformation" is the beginning of racism. At first slaves were the ones who weren't Christian. No one was judged base on their skin colors. There were servants who worked to be free from slavery. They were people who were not Christian. Anthony (Antonio) Johnson was an African American who after serving got to be free and owned land. As more people were getting out of servitude the laws changed and made the "aliens" (African Americans) slaves who could not free from this job. I agree with Elizabeth when she said it was disgusting that more and more states were allowing slavery. I felt horrible hearing that I also agree with her when she said "it is ironic that about 30 years later, they would be the ones to oppress people." That is true America was the first to make slavery illegal. They were the first to go against it even though other countries didn't. Learning about the "terrible transformation" makes me sad at how early racism came to play.
I like how Marianne described the "terrible transformation" : She said it was "the sudden change in which people recognized slavery as a legal institution." When she used the word sudden it got me thinking of how things weren't originally planned to turn out like they did and how racialization of slavery occurred so quickly without much rejection. That is what I do not understand; if the colonists who started Jamestown had hopes to make it a land without oppression, how in the end did they become the ones who began to oppress people in such harsh ways? Indentured servants was not a bad thing in my opinion. It was simply their way of trade and it wasn't harmful or hurtful. After servants were released they had a chance to build a life of their own, which was exactly what (Antonio) Anthony did. He was black but was still given the same privileges of Englishmen, married, owned much land, and had kids of his own. This was all changed in the 1640s when slavery began to be thought of as an institution and began to have a lot to do with race. In my opinion, this was honestly just a terrible turn of events.
I also agree with Marianne and I like how she defined "terrible transformation." It most definitely was a sudden change for the people involved. No person was expected to be put in the position that these enslaved Africans were put into. Everything happened so quickly that I feel as though nothing was able to be done in order to fix this. I also agree with Elizabeth, It is nauseating to think that more states would allow slavery. But there was one country who fought against it and that was America. When the servants were set free, they were given the chance to build a new life of their very own. Antonio (Anthony) was a black servant who took advantage and went ahead with this privilege. The way slavery went about just makes me sick to my stomach.
The “terrible transformation” in this episode was the development of slavery. Originally, slavery was based on social classes, and the slaves had much more freedoms. Later, for the first time, slavery became “racialized.” It was a shift in the idea of slavery, from being non-Christian slaves to non-white slaves. In the first days of the new settlement, Jamestown, the people had indentured servants who worked for them. I agree with Elizabeth, it seems to be a fair trade. You could gain passage to the new world and gain a new life, bring up their placement in society, and earn what you received. People like Anthony Johnson came to the Americas and created a new life for themselves, earning respect and privilege. Sadly, the institution changed in the 1640s; it was around this time that slavery found a place in the new world.
When the colonists started Jamestown, they built it on an idea of a Utopia, a perfect world where people could be equal as men. I find it horrific to know what that dream became as the years went by. The people left Europe to escape oppression, and there they were, years later, oppressing blacks that were brought to the land. I agree with Madison, humans were only valued for work they could do and the things they could produce. I find the ideas of humanity and the value of people that was created in that time to be disgusting.
I agree with Elizabeth about how the "terrible transformation"is the beginning of "racialization" of slavery. In the 17th century, all slaves were treated equal. But now the skin color determined if you would become a slave or not. Anthony was the first African American that get to be free and own a land. But in 1640s, states started to acknowledge slavery as part of the society. After Anthony got freed, he got sold again to the slavery and dissapeared.
I highly agree with many of Winter's statements. I think the "terrible transformation" was that of America, changing from a land of freedom and equality to a place where discrimination and exploitation of people and their races commonly occurred.
Aside from the obvious contradiction of having slavery and freedom exist side by side in the same country, there is also the contradiction of how the whites thought that racial slavery was going to benefit them when in reality, it closed off opportunity and jobs for the poorer whites in the meanwhile. Because it was much profitable to buy slaves, as you only need to pay them off once you receive them (and cheaply, for that matter), there's no longer a need for indentured servants and that only made matters worse for the poverty-stricken whites.
The "Terrible transformation" is the way that the earliest Africans in America watched as their dream of freedom was taken away because the advantages their race brought. It also has to deal with the transformation of slavery to include the factor of race, which was an entirely new concept.
I felt like the quote from one of the packets that said the man who owned the slaves was the true slave, i'm paraphrasing, really comes into play. How can you form a country that preaches equality and justice for all when you build it on inequality and injustice towards an entire race. It's like wiping out a Native American tribe to build a church on their land.
I think this video show how for this country to move forward its corrupt roots must first be examined, accepted, and then the hate bred from it must be at least swallowed. In the video it talked about how in America there were more enemies living among each other than anywhere else. I feel like a good amount of the hatred between master and slaves has not been let go which is something that I think would help our society resolve some issues today.
I agree with Elizabeth because as well. the " Terrible Transformation" is the beginning of " Racialization " of slavery. the change which people started to see africans as aliens after they let you go just like they let Anthony Johnson go you had to find your way and build your own life by yourself. once africans arrived in the americas many video really talks about two africans americas slaves. this was changed in the 1640s when slavery began to be though of as an institution and began to have a lot to do with.
The terrible transformation, which was indeed terrible, was the beginning of slavery being based on race. At first, indentured servants were the main force of labor and blacks under British law could not be slaves if they were baptized into Christianity. However, the settlers saw a downfall with this because the servants would a) one day be free and b) had to be given a part of the master's land once freed. In order to preserve their land, they started enslaving African American's, even those who had been freed from servitude. Slowly but surely the laws on slavery changed, becoming harsher and harsher. At one point, it was illegal to free slaves at all. I think we can all agree, this was all just despicable.
“The Terrible Transformation” was a perfect title for the information in this movie. The transformation was about the change in the way slavery worked. Instead of it being based on social classes and indentured servants, it took a horrible turn and changed to be all about race and racialization. Instantly the race of all slaves were the same, and almost as instantly, the way the enslaved were treated grew worse. People began to say that the enslaved were black because they weren’t as smart and didn’t deserve education, saying that “this is what they were made for” and other horrible slurs. But treating the slaves, black or not, the way they did was unforgivable.
During a scene in the movie, the speaker quoted Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson had been writing to someone and said, in his letter, “We will not be forgiven for this.” But, though he spoke with such knowing, he himself had four slaves of his own at that time. This just shows that not only were slaves everywhere, but that people couldn’t think well enough to realized it was truly wrong.
The “Terrible transformation” is the transition from race not mattering, to race being the deciding factor of your freedom. Race became everything for both the whites and the blacks. The owners became privileged white men who got to own slaves. The blacks of course became the slaves who spent the rest of their lives working for the white men.
My reaction to the video wasn’t a very strong one. The video was mostly a more detailed overview of what I’ve learned about over my life. I constantly learned that slaves were beaten, and starved. I always saw the pain that must’ve been with the blacks as their lives were overturned into probably the worst possible scenarios. Like Winter, I wasn’t surprised with origin of black slavery. An implication that this has for America today is the thought of slavery happening again. Who’s to say it won’t happen again? Of course it’s highly unlikely due to the now fully developed US government, and being a country of equality. But it makes me think, is this country actually equal? The government is already corrupt with the government shutdown and accusations made against President Obama. Why can’t slavery rise again? You never know when something even bigger could happen to this country to where there no longer is government. The contradictions of the idea of having equality in a country with slaves is mindboggling to me.
I agree with Elizabeth, the "Terrible Transformation" was the start of slavery being racialized. At first, it started off with the English men keeping Africans as indentured slaves and then when they served a certain amount of years, they were released, given their own land and were able to build their life back up, just like Antonio Johnson.Years later, many states started perceiving slavery as an institution. Now that slavery was considered to be an institution, Antonio Johnson was brought back into slavery because he could not prove whether he was a free man or not. This just proves how unfair and badly the slaves were treated.
I agree with Savannah The " terrible transformation" in this second episode was the fact that Africans started off as indentured servants for work purposes then transformed into slaves once they arrived in the Americas. For example Anthony Johnson was a servant who became a free man. Once Anthony Johnson was free he began to own many properties of land in Virginia. Anthony Johnson was sold into slavery and was no longer in the record books and was considered not to be human. In the 1640s slavery did not only apply to Africans it also applied to those who were non white and did not believe in Christianity
In my opinion the terrible transformation was when the definition of a slave became the definition of a black . I also agree with Elizabeth that the terrible transformation was the start of racialization . In the rise of slavery the servants were transported to America. After they completed serving their masters they recieved food and were given land to live. This lasted until around the 1660s when the servants began to rebel. Eventually Africans became the pinpoint for slavery by the English. People began to enjoy the idea of slavery because it ment to have persistent servitude. I found it very interesting how in the beginning the majority of servants were not just black they were poor people , sometimes even whites. I also agreed with Nicolette alessi that Anthony Johnsons story was pretty interesting . He escaped slavery in the Americas . He was an African servant who in 1640 got to own his own land . He was able to marry and had many children. Unlike many other African servants he made many prodigious triumphs.
I have the same opinion about what the terrible transformation was as Caytlen. It was the beginning of racism because when slaves were first brought to the Americas, they were just classified as black. At first, slavery was a type of job, and enslaved Africans were freed eventually. After the enslaved Africans were freed, they were able to start their own lives, however, they knew very little about the land. Anthony Johnson made something of himself when he was freed by starting a family and owning acres of land. Later on, slavery became an institution. The thought of this makes me absolutely sick because no human being should be obligated to do something that they do not willingly want to do. I have the same question as Ronnie did in class today, “How come nobody tried to stop it?” If everyone saw what was occurring, how come nobody attempted to stop it?
I also agree with Elizabeth. The "terrible transformation" was the beginning of "racialization" of slavery. Slavery became a legal institution. When the slaves first arrived in America, they were complete strangers. They were given land and food, once they had completed their labor for their master. Anthony Johnson had completed his labor and moved to Maryland. But soon enough, his land was taken from him because he was viewed as an alien. Race mattered. The color of one's skin determined their work and labor in America. Slaves were known to be non-white and non-Christian. I liked how Elia said "...how racialization of slavery occurred so quickly without much rejection." I still do not understand why there wasn't rejection. It makes me wonder if any white men wanted to defend the slaves at all.
The "terrible transformation" was the beginning of race in America. When slavery begun, and for a long time after that, it was never about race. However, the definition of who should be enslaved in America changed from non- Christians to nonwhites. My thoughts on the "terrible transformation" are that it is just evil and self- righteous. The slave traders and the plantation owners only had money on their minds and not the fact that what they were doing was not in anyway humain. After watching the Tim Wise video, I think that the "terrible transformation" has inspired the idea of "White Priviledge". During the times of slavery, whites thought that they were better and had the right to do what they were doing. The video showed that now, even thogh whites and blacks are equal in many ways, some whites still think that they are better.
The terrible transformation started the racialized part of slavery. Slavery only was made up to be for those who were non-Christian but later turned into non-whites. Africans were brought over to America where they were told they were going to be indentured servants which later turned into slavery. They were placed into one colony which later spread throughout all of the colonies. It was said that Africans were the chosen one because they were strangers/outsiders...because they were different. The Europeans saw Africans as they saw Native Americans, as animals and savages. After Antonio escaped he had the same luxuries as a white male being black although he was one of the few with this opportunity.
I agree with what Elizabeth Cheng & Madison Penrose said about how the "terrible transformation" is the beginning of "racialization" of slavery. People who were known as slaves when they were brought to America from Africa were classified and known as just black. Not people, with feelings just like the whites, just black, that's all. After you're released, (like Anthony Johnson) you have to build a whole new life, that was once stolen and deprived from you. Imagine having to start your life from square one, a life that is completely unknown to you. Enslaved Africans were looked and judged by people. Everything was skin deep. The slaves were owned and controlled by wealthy Englishmen. These men made them work in extremely unfair and unhealthy conditions. Humans were traded as property. They were valued for the work they were able to produce & not their individuality. The fact of the matter is, blacks were stripped from their culture & their rights as am individual. Which I think, is something you can never deprive a person of.
The "terrible transformation" is the beginning of "racialization" of slavery. In 1640 The mentality of slavery shifted from non christian = slave to black = slave. Originally A very common form of slavery was indentured servants. An indentured servant got a free passage across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas in exchange for servitude for a certain amount of years. British law stated that no christian could be a slave, so the Europeans started viewing the blacks as non christian aliens and made them full time slaves. In 1607 Jamestown was colonized, and it was supposed to be a land without oppression and equality. In its early years Jamestown followed those rules and black men, such as Antonio, were allowed to own land. The contradicting thing that happened was that after 1640 it was illegal for a black man to own land or to be free. After the law had changed they just took Antonio's land, the land they rightfully gave him. Something I found particularly confusing but not necessarily contradicting was the actions of some of the Africans still in Africa. If Africa was the primary source of slaves for Europe and the Americas then why did the Africans themselves partake in the capturing and trading of their own kind.
The "Terrible Transformation" is about how Africans advantages and freedom is taken away from them because of their race. This was the beginning of "racialization". The slaves would just work,work, and work. That's all of their masters saw and that they were meant to just do work. Slaves who worked, looked forward of being freed and becoming a free African. For example Anthony Johnson, after serving his years as a slave; he eventually had a family and owned property. I think slavery is horrific and horrible time in America, yet its very important in American History. It's the reason why there are some high schools and colleges have African American classes.
I agree with Elizabeth and Chris on what the terrible transformation is. I agree that it is the beginning of categorizing slavery by race. First, slavery was not just blacks. Everyone who came over was basically equal. They were indentured servants. After some time, some people depending on certain conditions of theirs would be official permanent slaves. If you were to be freed, you would have to build a life for yourself, like Madison Penrose said, after being excluded from the normal outside world for so long. It was considered "terrible" because of how they were treated. Slaves had to work all day, whenever the "masters" wanted them to, no matter the outside conditions or the conditions of the slave itself. At this point, the enslaved peoples were considered almost something of real estate rather than a human being.
The "terrible transformation" is when race became a factor in slavery. It was the beginning of racialization, and its affect on the status of a slave. When colonists first came to Jamestown, they thought all men would be equal and free. They thought of the colony as a "free land built by free men". This was contradicted when colonists became involved in slavery. At first, both blacks and europeans were slaves. There was not a big difference in their treatment and the the "rules" of race were not clear. Then the view of slaves started to shift. It went from being someone who was not Christian to someone who was not white. They no longer wanted to project the idea of free Africans, such as Anthony Johnson, who also owned property. This change in view led to the legalization of slavery, as well as the start of race and racism. Slaves were now considered "aliens", and were separated from other people in society.
After watching the other video "Tim Wise: On White Privilege", I realized just how much of a contradiction racialization was. The whites did not like the black or european slaves, but they still used them for work. The colonies were "living off of racial slavery". They also used race to get others to work with them. The european slaves were given more privileges and convinced that the blacks were the cause of their problems. They were tricked by the idea of being a "white race" and being common to each other. Hearing how this still happens today surprised me and just supports how wrong racialization was. They wanted all men to be equal, but the "terrible transformation" did the opposite of that.
I also agree with Elizabeth that the "Terrible Transformation" is the start of racism and people being split up by race. I think the terrible transformation also relates to how the enslaved went from being free people in the world to being hard working slaves who have little to no rights. My reaction to the video would be that it is sickening and all I could do through out the video was shake my head and look down. In American it shows how people are separated by races. Just like Anthony who had all of this land but when he died it was taken from him just because he was a "negro". When colored slaves came to America they were blacks and nothing else. If you were an African that meant you were not an American. You were considered as an outsider or a stranger to the country. It is crazy how humans and slaves were being traded in factories for materials like cloth and rum. It shows that these slaves were really nothing but an object. Its unrealistic to think that people had to go through such cruel punishments and pains everyday.
The "Terrible Transformation" was basically being born as a slave and the beginning of Racialism. Before the targeting of race, indentured servant started the plantations and in return, they would get land and start over as a free man. When Massachusettes began to stop hireing indentured servants and started enslaving people for bigger profit, that is when the evolution of Racialism and the terrible transformation happened
I agree with daria about what the terrible transformation is. I do believe that it is the beginning of categorizing slavey by your race. In the beginning of slavery everyone was equal, or almost equal. My personal opinion on the "Terrible Transformation" is that is it disgusting. It is flat out evil. Racialization is something I wrote about in my essay. It is such a horrible concept. Something that goes along with it is dehumanization. Dehumanization is basically the stripping away of human qualities. I guess you could say racialization is stripping away someones human qualities, because of who they are. It is traumatizing to think about. The masters would make these slaves work, work, work, all day long. Dehumanization really played its role during this time. Were they really human beings living their lives or were they just "property?"
It is a terrible transformation to know your own children would have to grow up in a world where slavery is racialized. To be a slave meant to be black and to be black meant to be a slave. As a number of indentured servants were being freed, it lead to the idea of people serving for life. Slavery. Slaves were defined as strangers and outsiders. White plantation owners quickly changed their law. Soon, Africans who were just as equal had to sell their land, couldnt own land, and couldn't be free anymore!Anthony Johnson was an indentured servant who was eventually freed. He married, had kids and moved to the north. He did well for the standard of time, after he died the state seized his land.Slavery became a legal institution based on race. Anthony's land could have been preserved if laws hadnt changed and people didnt become selfish.
The "Terrible transformation" is where "racialization" began to occur. This is where Africans were beginning to face extreme prejudice. Any black person becomes a slave in the eyes of the master. It's the sad truth. Looking back, it has shaped our society in countless ways, and has shown us a period of time that we mustn't repeat. Anthony Johnson was able to build a life for himself after slavery, but not all slaves were so fortunate...
The "Terrible Transformation," like most people have stated, is the process in which racism is developed. The life of Antonio is a perfect visual for this topic since his lineage experienced it as it happened. It went from his family having their own property to the government taking it away due to the fact that he was black. The institution of slavery had become an industry where it all depended on the color of your skin. Besides the development of racism.
Besides the racism, the years that were part of the "Terrible Transformation" also developed a strong prejudice. People eventually believed that certain types of people were inferior based on how they looked. This prejudice affected history greatly such as the years of segregation. It was apparent in the Americas before and it still is today.
I agree with Chris, Elizabeth, and Marianne on their responses. The “terrible transformation” was the start of slavery that was based on the complexity of your skin. All of the first slaves, were not African American. When the 1660’s came the servants all decided to make a rebel. And all free people were becoming sold into slavery and purchased. For example Anthony Johnson, who found a way on his own and builded his life from the beginning. After reading many of these responses and also the packet Mr. Jobs gave to us i feel like i know alot more about this topic and am very comfortable with the “terrible transformation"
The Terrible Transformation talks about the idea of how slavery was changed in the English colonies to be based on race. The idea started that it was the fault of Africans that their problems existed. The English stated the idea that Africans were not humans because they used them as robots and it would help the rich Englishmen maintain power. The evil conditions that Africans had to go through in slavery couldn't be done to another human. You would get arrested and it would be called sickening. They also wanted white people to hate black people so that the poor whites didn't get angry at the rich ones for taking everything that they had. The idea that an African slave was not human was developed to help their machine of production. I think that if Africans in Africa were considered human, half of the things that happened to them would not have. In the Middle Passage they were looked at as packages and treated that way. You couldn't think that someone was human if you were going to take their child or rape them and think it was OK.
I agree with the common belief that the "terrible transformation" was when slavery began to be based on the color of skin. Also, the first slaves were not black/African slaves. I feel as though slavery is something that should not exist. And yet, slavery still exists in different places around the world. I think that no one should be forced into doing something and be abused if they do not complete the specified task. Even if they are punished, doing things like whipping them and taking away their meals is incredibly harsh and unnecessary.
The terrible transformation was the time at which slavery began to be based on race. It started out to be only for non Christians but then quickly changed into a completely race based practice. Africans were not the first slaves though. Before this time there had been other races that were enslaved until it was mainly blacks.
The "terrible transformation" is when early America becomes pro-slavery and even institutionalizes it. It said in the film that the British didn't enslave each other because Christians didn't enslave other Christians, but it also said they baptized the blacks that came over from Africa and gave them Christian names. I thought this idea of slavery to blacks but not whites was cruel and terrible because the only people who were really on top were rich white southerns who let poor whites, who were almost the same compared with the blacks, think because their white that they are better. The sad truth to America today is that without slavery then we wouldn't have the America we have today. The Tim Wise video brought up more conversation because he was talking about how blacks and whites had so much in common with each other but still one thought because they were white, based on what rich white southerns said, they were better than the blacks. Yet the rich white southerns still didn't give a damn about the poor white people and thought that they weren't equal. I also think that his message got through to more people because he was white talking about African-American Slavery.
The "terrible transformation" is when early America becomes pro-slavery and even institutionalizes it. It said in the film that the British didn't enslave each other because Christians didn't enslave other Christians, but it also said they baptized the blacks that came over from Africa and gave them Christian names. I thought this idea of slavery to blacks but not whites was cruel and terrible because the only people who were really on top were rich white southerns who let poor whites, who were almost the same compared with the blacks, think because their white that they are better. The sad truth to America today is that without slavery then we wouldn't have the America we have today. The Tim Wise video brought up more conversation because he was talking about how blacks and whites had so much in common with each other but still one thought because they were white, based on what rich white southerns said, they were better than the blacks. Yet the rich white southerns still didn't give a damn about the poor white people and thought that they weren't equal. I also think that his message got through to more people because he was white talking about African-American Slavery.
"The terrible transformation" in my opinion is the start of everything. I agree with Elizabeth when she says that it is the beginning of "Racialization" of slavery. When slaves were first brought to the Americas, they were just classified as black. Enslaved Africans were eventually freed and were able to start their own life. After Anthony Johnson was freed he actually did something with his life. He started a family along with owning so many acres of land. I do not think any human should be treated the way they are treated and being demanded to do things you don't want to do, it is sick. What I want to know is did anyone try to stop it? If not then, why?
The "Terrible Transformation" is the beginning of radicalization and slavery. it was only the beginning of indentured servants but were forced to be a slave once the reached america.For example Anthony Johnson was a servant that became a free man, but sold into slavery and disappeared from the record books and dehumanized My reaction to this video wasn't really shock, or surprise because we have been analyzing this idea of Trans-Atlantic slavery and i was really known to it already.
I agree with Theresia when she wrote "the terrible transformation is the beginning of radicalization". It is very awful how a person can dehumanized and loose their history because the color of their skin. Every mentioned him, but the most truest example is Anthony Johnson. He was a normal human being just like the rest of anyone who was trying to pay off their debt. But things changed horribly after the "terrible transformation"
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