The+Origins+of+American+Slavery

MDS -- Looking back to the origins of the United States, most Americans are appalled by an inescapable contradiction – that a country founded on the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness could have its foundation in an institution such as slavery, which directly denies these rights to a select group of people. However, in his article “The Origins of American Slavery”, Philip Morgan attempts to contextualize the situation under which American slavery arose, essentially to vindicate the early New World settlers of some of the blame they receive today. America was by no means the first country or civilization to employ slavery. The practice dates back to Classical Greece and Rome, and many settlers of the New World used the practices of these ancient, respected civilizations to justify their own use of slavery. Arabs and Muslims also had a history of using large numbers of black Africans and developing sophisticated systems of slave marketing and trade routes. This historical background by no means absolves the Americans of uainf their institution of slavery as a major economic advantage. They were the first civilization to actually recognize the great economic potential of owning slaves, and were quite unashamed of using the potential profits of the institution to its fullest extent, to fill their own pockets. However, it is easier to understand why America’s economy was based in the trade of black slaves, since trade systems and precedents for enslavement had been previously (and successfully) established throughout Europe and the Atlantic by the fifteenth century. However, the New World was the first to incorporate racism as a crucial element of slavery. Before, slavery had been largely racially non-specific, and many “whites” had been enslaved, as Morgan points out. While Morgan also establishes that prejudices against the color black have deep roots in many previous cultures and that black slaves were supposedly the most easily accessible choice for labor that the Americans had, there is no escaping the fact that the American promise of liberty had its dark secrets, and that the United States set a precedent for racial intolerance and prejudice previously unseen. **summary -- not analysis**

JF -- Slavery, called “the Peculiar Institution” during the revolution, was named so because though the Confederacy was sure of its stance, they had an exceedingly difficult time justifying their position. Similarly, Philip D. Morgan seems to seek to defend the practice of American slave ownership in his article, The Origins of American Slavery. Unfortunately, he failed just as the South did. Morgan cited historical examples of slave trade as if they would convince the audience that because America wasn’t alone, it shouldn’t be viewed too harshly. His stance seemed to be that because “almost every society in the history of the world has experienced slavery at one time or another,” the existence of slavery in the New World should be seen as a necessary step in the Agricultural and Economic development of the nation. The fact remains, however, that no matter what the precedent presented by Morgan, at that time in America’s history, the world was at a place, intellectually, technologically, and economically unseen before. Globally, we should have known better. For a nation conceived on the basis of “Life, liberty, and property,” slavery was unforgivably hypocritical, and Morgan’s article did nothing to convince me otherwise. **summary -- not analysis -- to make matters worse -- summary isn't very well done and the entry is short** JCT-- There tends to be a misconception that the abundance of African slaves in early America was directly related to a preexisting racism against the black populace. All different races had been previously enslaved around the world, from Europeans to Arabs. Slavery was based on convenience and profit, not on a belief that one race of people deserved to be subjugated. Europeans once enslaved one another during wars and disputes, regardless of both of them being a part of the Caucasian race. It was later that they were no longer considered potential slaves because they felt that enslaving a member of the same church was wrong. Europeans then bought slaves from the Middle-East, but after Constantinople was taken over, lost a large amount of this income. The next closest option was African slaves. Africans, who had been enslaved by others such as Holland and other Africans, were notorious for their hardiness since they were able to survive in the harsh savannas and deserts of Africa. They were also very close to Europe and, therefore, proved convenient as the next major source of slaves for Europeans. When England was colonizing North America, slavery was considered a necessity in the South, which had many swamps that needed draining and high temperatures. Since Africans were the primary source of slaves for Europe at this time, and they had proved successful in South America, they were logically sent to the colonies instead of having settlers attempt to enslave the natives. The propensity for slaves to be African has very little to do with stereotypes of the time and everything to do with the current market based on ease of supply. **summary -- not analysis -- too short** AMB -- Today, when Americans look back on the history of the United States, most regard slavery as the most shameful institution that existed. Though that arguably may be true, slavery was not unique to America. Almost every “civilized” society in the history of the world used some form of slavery at one time or another. Slavery was dominant in Europe for over a thousand years, with the Muslims and Christians enslaving each other since around 800 CE. During the 1100s, the Western Europeans even had a slave route across Europe which they used to enslave the Slavic people (the word “slave” actually derives from the Latin word for “Slav”). Even Africa had its own system of slavery within the tribal societies. The Europeans did not enslave the African blacks until their traditional slave routes were blocked off by the Ottomans around 1500, and these slaves were soon shipped in large numbers to the New World, where slavery became increasingly important to society. Slavery in the New World was based upon commercial industry, namely plantations. Strong men were needed to work the fields, and as the need increased, more slaves were provided. This led to a labor force made up almost entirely of black slaves. The industrial aspect of American slavery is what made it distinct from that of other cultures. Other distinctions branched off from this main trait. Because of the commercial aspect of slavery in America, there was a much higher ratio of men to women. When the ratio became more even, more slaves were able to marry and have children, which made America one of the only societies in history that had a self-reproducing slave population. American society was also much less tolerant of interracial marriage than Europe, so there was a great racial divide between blacks and whites. The slave population remained distinctly African American until Emancipation. Because of this rampant racism in American society during the time of slavery, it was more difficult for a slave to gain freedom in America than in almost any other slave society. Though slavery had been a part of almost every society in the world, American slavery was distinct in the way Americans looked at it as an institution, and in the effects it had on American society. **This leans too much on the side of summary -- needs more analysis -- also, most commercial industry in colonies was in New England -- plantations are representative of agricultural industry--pjr** AVG – The existence of slavery in a nation supposedly dedicated to the “life, liberty, and property” is usually viewed as exceedingly hypocritical. However, Philip D. Morgan argues in “The Origins of American Slavery” that the existence of slavery in the United States was not as anomalous as one might think. Morgan begins by explaining that virtually every society in history has, at some time, employed slavery as a means to subjugate large portions of their population. Even Greece and Rome, the source of many of our nation’s ideas, were slave societies. The African slave trade was not a new phenomenon either; rather, it had existed for over a millennium before our nation’s founding. The origins of this were not blatantly racist but rather opportunistic: African nations were small and therefore lacked the power to prevent their populations from becoming enslaved. Some Africans even sold others into slavery because they lacked a common identity. Racist thinking occurred as a result of this slavery as Arabs associated slavery (and therefore degradation) with black Africans. Similarly, black slavery arose in Europe not because Europeans initially thought of blacks as inferior but because their supply of white slaves from the Caucuses was interrupted by the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Europeans increasingly avoided enslaving each other (largely as a result of unity from fighting a common enemy), so their only source of slave labor was black Africans. As in the Old World, black slavery entered the New World because of a labor shortage (here caused by the deaths of Indians) that only black slaves could fill. Thus, black slavery in the New World was not a result of racism as much as it was of the ruthless pursuit of profit, as the most efficient and profitable slave plantations were located in America. Americans initially justified this slavery as a continuation of history rather than an anomaly. In fact, the most unusual aspect of American slavery was its sudden end. Slavery had existed unchallenged for millennia, even in democratic societies such as Athens, but it was outlawed within a century of our nation’s founding.
 * Referred to information presented in //Vindicating the Founders// and //Founding Brothers//*

** solid first entry -- delve into your topic a little deeper and you have a chance of nailing it **
ENA – While the horrors of American slavery conflicted with the founders’ ardor for liberation, the United States was certainly not “a country conceived in freedom but based on slavery”. In fact, Mr. Morgan himself recognizes the fact that American slavery cannot be subjected to generalization; for example, he acknowledges the distinction between New England’s “family slavery” and Chesapeake’s more economically focused slavery and, furthermore, identifies borderland forms as contrasting as intense subjugation and interracial alliances. How could he conclude that slavery, with its diverse influences, was the foundation of this country? When ratified, the Constitution of the United States pledged protection of the slave trade until 1808, the year it would be permanently abolished. This provision allowed the Union to be formed, as the South would have undoubtedly rejected to merge if slavery, an institution upon which its economy was dependent, was abolished. A number of framers perceived how this stipulation defied Revolutionary ideals. The cost for abolishing slavery (calculated according to the price of each slave) was roughly $140 million; in 1790, the federal budget was $7 million. In spite of this, successful measures were taken to reduce the activity of slavery. By 1798, every state had banned slave importation. (However, South Carolina later revived it in 1803.) Eight states abolished slavery in the founding era. Moreover, in 1777, Vermont outlawed slavery in its constitution – just one year after the ratification of the Declaration. Finally, the Northwest Ordinance, passed by Congress in 1787, barred slavery in the area that consists of present-day Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin. These are merely a few pieces of evidence that demonstrate the founders’ strong will to uphold America’s deep-rooted principles of freedom. In regards to such a complex issue, Mr. Morgan makes a carless accusation. The infant nation was not supported by injustice. **summary -- not analysis -- last sentence sound an awful lot like a sweeping generalization**

AJN- In “The Origins of American,” it becomes clear that slavery was not based on racism but more based upon the demanding nature of those times. The article clearly depicts that in all cultures at some point in their history there was some sort of slavery. It was not the affects of racism that caused there to be slavery but more there was a need of workers and slavery was more of a convenience and allowed the owners to make more money without having to pay workers. Also, one of the largest slave owners in the south was a black man who enslaved hundreds of other blacks just as the whites had been doing during this time. By no means do I agree with slavery but I do agree that there is a common misconception between racism and slavery that is publically accepted by most today. Many believe that only blacks were enslaved, however this is also untrue all different races had been enslaved around the world previously, ranging from Europeans to Arabs. So as opposed to racist whites enslaving blacks, as many believe, it was actually more of a convenient solution for the land owners to be able to make more money with less overhead and more productivity. **weak summary -- not analysis -- short**

SW- Slavery in America is not the first form of slavery. Slavery had been going on long before the New World. Slavery was also not due to racism it was just due to need. Many races had been enslaved in the past not just African Americans. The Africans were the most profitable choice for the colonists in the New World. That is what the author Phillip D. Morgan tires to show in this article. There were enslaved white people in Europe before there were black slaves. Greeece and Rome were models for slavery in the future. The fist time there was black slavery was when the Arabs brought them over from Africa to work for them in the Middle East. Europeans felt that they should not enslave Europeans anymore which was why black slavery became most popular. In the New World they did not have black slaves right away but colonists needed slaves to do the work. They enslaved Indians, but they eventually proved not to be profitable. Their other choice was indentured servants but they would eventually become free so this was also not a preferred choice. So black slaves proved to be the best option. They imported so many slaves that there were more blacks than whites. It was Africa’s biggest export. Slavery had been common in the world but it was different in America. It was self-reproducing and less tolerant of interaction between the races. It is ironic as Morgan realizes, that a society started by the idea of freedom is based on slavery. But the origin of American slavery is not the origin of slavery all together. Slavery had been going on long before the New World and it was not due to racism but it was due to necessity. **summary -- not analysis** J.R.C.: Upon reading the article titled “The Origins of American Slavery”, by Philip D. Morgan, a point was made that America’s case of enslaving Africans had many similarities drawn from antiquity, but in parallel had differences over time. Morgan made many comparisons, by relating the slavery found in America, to that of Rome and Greece. This comparison essentially made the point that America was not alone in the history of enslaving other races. The author went further to state that America also did not use slavery in the same sense as other civilizations. Essentially, Morgan stated tha t in history, it was more common for a civilization to target a specific race for slavery due to discrimination, but in America’s case, for profit. Early Americans targeted the Africans, because they were found in small colonies, thus contained little to no protection, and were basically in large supply! Economically, America was doing more than okay for their time, so the use of slavery was basically a luxury for Americans, because the work was so cheap. Morgan made many valid claims, but ultimately came up short in my opinion , because slavery is an unnecessary evil and is a simple manner of exploitation for profit. Now just because in history, other civilizations exploited the use of slavery, doesn’t give one founded on the beliefs that initially were against said acts, the right to follow suit. **summary -- not analysis -- close to being short**

NDH- Racism in America was a byproduct of colonial slavery and not the reason, as Philip D. Morgan successfully argues in //The Origins of American Slavery//. Morgan’s argument, though backed by virtually nothing, goes deep into the origins of slavery and explains the how it all changed as it passed through the barriers of time and culture. It dates back to Greece and Rome and has been used by nearly every culture in history since then. Slavery has even been an important part of Africa’s culture where approximately fifteen percent of the population was slaves in the 1800’s, as Morgan wrote in the essay. According to his argument, it is the preexistence of slaves in Africa that makes them a great choice for slaves in the colonies. Americans wanted cheap labor, but their choices were few on who to use as slaves. No white man would ever enslave another white man, and the Native Americans in the area died far too easily to be useful. It is these reasons that drove Americans to use Africans as slaves. Because the Americans picked Africans as slaves out of reasons not of skin color, it is safe to say that racism was more likely a byproduct of slavery than vice versa. **summary -- not analysis -- entry should be centered on US - not other world areas -- close to being short**

SFH – Contrary to common belief American slavery as most perceive the institution was not a racist attempt to debase the African populace, but a consequence of aspirations for profit. Philip D. Morgan’s article ‘The Origins of American Slavery’ bolsters this claim that globally (European and Non-European) the desire for profit far exceeded the moral issues of enslaving humans of any race. Almost every society in the world has experienced or promoted slavery at some point in history. Both Europeans and Africans enslaved members of their own race after wars, regardless of the fact that the ‘master’ and worker shared the same race. Hence African Americans were not the only race to be enslaved, for century’s men with land have been enslaving any race that was cheaply available regardless of their racial background. In the New Works Native Americans were the most logical labor forces because of their close proximity, yet the Native Americans were susceptible to Old World diseases and did not survive long enough to be profitable. The volume of slave imports to Brazils booming sugar cane production made African Americans the economical and logical choice for American plantation owners. No European set out to the New World with the intention of enslaving African Americans, yet the availability of African slaves and the bleak labor alternatives lead to the African American slaves, not racial profiling. **summary -- not analysis -- close to being short**

MRL - In the article "The Origins of American Slavery", by Phillip D. Morgan, it becomes evident that nearly every major society throughout history utilized slavery at one point, but the slaves were not only comprised of Africans. From this, it can be speculated that slavery was not purely based on racism, but was in fact based on the convenience of obtaining and keeping the slaves regardless of their race, although it can be argued that it wasencouraged by racial differences. The notion that at one point there were more white and Arab slaves than black slaves indicates that slavery was not based purely on race. This did not maintain for long, however, because the explosion of the usage of African slaves eventually eclipsed the amounts of European, Arab, and other groups of slaves. This immense increase in the number of African slaves was caused by availability and convenience, but the use of African slaves was eventually prolonged due to racism. For instance, black slaves were not sought after so vigorously because of racism but rather the convenience of using Africans, yet the use of African slaves survived for so long, unlike white and Arab slaves, because of the dehumanizing racism that stigmatized the African race for millennia. While white and Arab slaves eventually became less and less numerous because their respective regions began to experience a sense of racial unity, Africans were always able to be alienated by other races due to their skin color as well as the belief that the blacks were inferior humans. Recognizing this, it is clear that the use of African slaves began as a product of the global supply and demand for slavery, but in time it transformed into the racist enslavement of a Africans by a group of people who deemed themselves humanly superior to the blacks. **summary -- not analysis -- emphasis should be on aspect of US history -- not Euopean, Middle Eastern and/or African**

MJM. Slavery is a stain on the history of the United States of America that can never be erased. It is something that no one the north or south are really proud to say happened on our soil that claims to be a “Big Brother” while exemplifying freedom and equality. That being said after millennia of international enslavement it was the abolitionists in our country that worked tirelessly to end the unfair treatment of fellow human beings. The effects of the Civil War and the freedoms that ensued were inspiring all around the world to end human enslavement before the twentieth century. The practice that had lasted so long clearly evolved over time. Many people falsely believe that slavery in the United States was simply laziness and racism at their worst. This is untrue. There were many factors and coincidences that led to the enslavement of blacks including their already prolific use in international trade, them being used to agricultural work, their knowledge of growing practices and them being able to survive Old World diseases unlike the Native Americans. The rise of black enslavement was coupled with the decline of white enslavement because there happened to be a feeling of unity between the northern Europeans after the crusades and then eventually the American people that fought for independence. Not that there is an excuse for slavery because it is an irreprehensible practice but these factors help to offset the common belief that all Americans, especially southern plantation owners, did not believe Aristotle when he insinuated that some people are born to be slaves. Even in Vindicating the Founders, it was explained how slavery in this country rose and fell but the Founding Fathers did not feel like the blacks were a worthless group of people. Free and enslaved African Americans were a significant part of our population and are a key element in the diverse threads woven into the history of the United States of America.

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AJJ- In Phillip D. Morgan’s article "The Origins of American Slavery" Philip points out the history of slavery and the effects of it throughout history and how it applies to America. He points out that almost every place in the world has had some form of slavery at one time and that it has gone on long before it occurred in the New World. I agree with J.R.C.’s claim that the author came up short in this article as I don’t believe slavery was one-hundred percent necessary in the New world and was the presence of slaves only provided free labor and ultimately created a problem that could only be solved by the bloodiest war in our history. I do agree with Morgan’s claim that racism was a byproduct of slavery and not the other way around. The fact that there was not strong government or leadership in Africa at the time made them easy targets for the world to use as slaves. They would have been slaves regardless of the color of their skin and racism was only a byproduct of black people being slaves.===== **summary -- not analysis -- extremely short**

CJD-The question of how slavery became such a prominent and ugly part of American history dates back to the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. These were two of the most powerful civilizations in history and their acts became a sort of inspiration for many flowering nations. The United States was one of these, but did not justify slavery in this manner until well after the basic economy was crafted. The African slave trade had destinations prior to the discovery of America. Portugal had been bringing slaves from the coast back to Europe since the 16th century, so when Europeans colonized the western hemisphere, they were only bringing an element of their culture that had existed for hundreds, if not thousands of years. By 1776, slavery was well ingrained into the United States, especially the southern ones. Morally, many knew it was wrong, but to end it meant to lose commercial viability in half the nation, which would destroy America at its onset. An unfortunate racial prejudice against black Africans became a major problem in the United States, and the disagreement over slavery eventually caused a civil war. This conflict ended after the slaves were freed in America. Emancipation had already occurred in much of the world, including the countries that had originally brought slavery to the United States. **summary -- not analysis**


 * week 2xx**

EMB- Slavery is often misunderstood as degrading ownership of Black labor. Before slavery even touched the New World, it was being used in the Middle East and Asia; furthermore in Africa and Europe. During the times slavery was popular in these parts of the world, the race was not as key of a factor in the equation as many presume. Slavery was more of ownership over someone seen as lesser than their master. It could be someone of any race, either gender, etc. Over time though, race became a larger factor in deciding which slaves would be captured and sold; this being the result of growing prejudice in white men toward other races and less contempt for their own. Due to a deficiency of slave owners of their race, Blacks seemed to have gotten the short end of the stick. As slavery became popular in the New World, colonists sought to use Indians as slaves rather than spend money to import others. This way they saved money, yet problems quickly ensued to where the importation of Blacks from Africa steadily became a friendlier prospect. The largest of these problems would be a lack of immunity to diseases from the Eastern hemisphere that Europeans and Asians were naturally equipped with while the Natives were not. High death rates caused slave owners to import Black slaves from Africa, where Africans were capturing Africans and shipping them all over. Thus Black Slavery became the norm in America as the Indians were killed off by disease. As it was decided in Europe, Europeans would no longer be used for slavery; this left Blacks as the only sensible option left. Racial prejudices against Blacks technically did start in the Old World. Cartoons and profanity relating to Africans led to racism which carried over to the New World. Though much of the importation of Blacks to America was due to an inexistence of other plausible options, it didn’t take long for colonists to view Blacks as socially inferior in their entirety. Such prejudicial views toward the Black population contributed vastly to issues with social cooperation that lasted decades after slavery was ended in the United States. summarized not analyzed

KEO- In “The Origins of American Slavery” by Philip D. Morgan, Morgan attempts to explain the nature of slavery prior to its adoption in America as well as identify the characteristics of American slavery that made it unique. He does an excellent job of charting the evolution of slavery around the globe, however when he begins his explanation of slavery’s beginnings in America, he leaves out an important factor: Bacon’s Rebellion. This rebellion played a crucial role in the development of racial slavery in America. In Virginia, the wealthy plantation owners owned the best land and the poorer farmers were forced to live around the outside perimeter of the colony where they were subject to the potential threat of Native American violence. To rid Virginia of this threat, Nathaniel Bacon organized the poor farmers into a militia that would wage war against all Indians. He promised freedom to all the farmers’ servants and slaves if they joined in the cause. Bacon and his militia plundered and slaughtered large numbers of Indians and managed to burn down most of Jamestown and oust Berkeley from the position of governor. Bacon died soon after this, causing the rebellion to fizzle out. Nevertheless, the results of this rebellion were felt among the Chesapeake work force. After witnessing such a violent uprising, wealthy planters were inspired to turn their attention towards Africa as a place from which to take slaves. There were already some black slaves being used in America, but the planters were hardly reliant on them. Now, after witnessing the violent acts of the newly freed slaves and servants of Virginia, importing African slaves was one of their only options. Therefore, this Rebellion was one of the major causes of America’s turn to black slavery. Morgan includes a section in his article that discusses the origins of racism in America. The contributions of Bacon’s Rebellion to the spread of racism would have been useful to include here as well. Bacon and his militia murdered and robbed all Indians, no matter how loyal, because of racism. Wealthy planters’ turned to black slavery because they wanted a labor force that would be easier to control. This image of black slaves as a group of people to be subjugated and controlled contributed greatly to the characteristic racial slavery of America. Overall, Morgan provides plenty of factual information explaining the character of slavery in America, but in excluding any mention of Bacon’s Rebellion, he leaves out a very important piece of the puzzle. *Based on information from the textbook and the NBC News Archives video clip “Bacon’s Rebellion”*

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nice attempt but you miss the mark with BR -- the lasting impact of BR had little to nothing to do with slavery and everything to do with the surfacing of pollitical/governance issues =====

VB- Slavery had a strong development in the New World due to preexisting social beliefs. Slavery had been used and adapted in many societies, dating back to Egypt. However, unlike America’s belief that slavery was an economic institution, past societies tended to view slavery as a social association. Americans, indirectly, took advantage of the fact that there was no unity in Africa, several scattered tribes constituted what Africa was. By depending on slave trade, the traders depended on the conflicts that existed between the tribes. Another preexisting belief is related to skin color, European society had viewed black skin color as “black”, the color they associated with the devil. These associations provide a reason for the mistreatment of Africans in the New World. The development of the sugar trade in the New World created a lucrative market in the farm lands of America. The lands in America needed labor, so slaves were used as free labor, maximizing the profit. Similarly, Philip D. Morgan recounts the history and evolution and slavery. By presenting valid facts, Morgan creates an interesting point of view with weak evidence. The article fails to convey the treatment of slaves in America. However, Morgan unfortunately does not show how slavery was a peculiar institution in America. He supplies reasons of why America had slavery in the first place; this article appears to give justifications rather than an analysis. summarized not analyzed