African American History, October 6

This week we began looking at slavery in the first British colony. The indentured servant model of slavery was imported from Europe. Under the system, people would become slaves for a certain number of years before becoming free. There were Africans in the original Jamestown colony but they were the small minority. Indentured servitude turned to Chattel Slavery – the ownership of a person for a lifetime – as the tobacco industry flourished. The growth of slavery in the British colonies also corresponded to the British’s control over the transatlantic slave trade. There was also a shift in laws that discriminated against Africans in the colonies. Blacks could no longer convert to Christianity, a major setback because a Christian could not enslave another Christian. There was also a law passed that stated all children of African women were now property of the woman’s owner. Today we are watching Part one of the movie Slavery and the Making of America.