The extensive use of African labor in Brazil and the Caribbean by the Spanish for farming purposes during the 16th and 17th centuries led British and other European colonists to do the same in North America, where Native American and indentured servant populations were insufficient to meet the demands for agricultural labor.
Most Africans brought to North America were used to produce the export crops (tobacco, rice, indigo, and cotton) that became a major source of wealth for European nations and their colonies.
Sadly, the English settlers of North America turned to black slavery to solve their labor shortage. Spain forcibly brought at least 100,000 Africans to Mexico during the 16th century, although England did not engage extensively in the slave trade until the Royal African Company was established in 1663.
Although a few free Africans came to colonial America as indentured servants in 1619, their status was different than that of the white indentured servants, who remained the backbone of the agricultural labor force until the end of the 17th century. As white workers improved their status during this period, however, both free and enslaved blacks were subjected to outrageous laws punishing slave disobedience, prohibiting salary increases, limiting their freedom and ensuring that the political rights and economic opportunities granted to whites would not be granted to Africans.
African-Americans bravely resisted enslavement in Africa, but, outnumbered by whites, North American slaves were less likely to engage in massive rebellions. Africans in North America typically underwent "obedience training" in the West Indies and were harshly punished for practicing their culture and beliefs. Retention of African skills and social patterns was not at all common among North American slaves since most young slaves were born in the U.S. Only in South Carolina, where slaves were a majority of the population, did they manage to retain skills such as knowledge of rice cultivation and proper farming. More often, white slave owners attempted to suppress African culture, believing it was easier to handle slaves who spoke English and who learned skills taught to them only by their owners.
These efforts were fortunately not completely successful, and slaves soon adopted English, education, philosophy, and other aspects of Western civilization, creating their own unique African-American culture that combined African and Western tradition. Soon efforts to return to Africa became less common as the number of African-born slaves declined, but resistance continued under the leadership of slaves and free blacks, who used their knowledge of American society to improve the status of blacks. Despite the restrictions placed on them by their owners, determined slaves managed to educate themselves and soon became key figures in the fight against slavery.
During the 18th century, black resistance was made even stronger by the growing popularity of whites with democratic ideas. Slaves used the divisions in white society during the American War of Independence (1775-1783) against British rule to seek freedom. Many blacks were thrilled by England’s offer of freedom to those who fought for them, and after the war, thousands migrated to Canada, most of them settling in Nova Scotia. About 5,000 blacks served in the Canadian military.
Soon new ideas about slavery inspired people to participate in various anti-slavery protests organized by both blacks and whites. Blacks continued to fight heroically for freedom, better treatment, and the abolition of slavery.
The small population of free blacks had already begun to establish their own institutions and businesses in order to improve the lives of African-Americans. Most of these businesses were in cities, which offered greater liberty to black residents than rural areas did. Even black slaves who managed to run away had some freedom of movement in the cities, and they were generally more skilled and had better access to information and educational materials. In Philadelphia and Providence, Rhode Island, community leaders founded lodges for African-American members of their communities to sleep and dine in when out on long trips.
After the Civil War, slavery was finally abolished and black communities grew and founded a variety of African-American churches, institutes, schools, and political parties. Although education was still uncommon, these institutions gave black leaders confidence and encouraged them to express their concerns to the general population. The determination of blacks was revealed in various editorials and newspapers, such as "Freedom’s Journal".
During the years after the Civil War, black leaders assembled annually in national conventions to discuss strategies for improving the status of blacks. African-Americans now worked towards ending discrimination against them, which was another major problem. Some African-Americans favored a return to Africa and even succeeded in reaching Sierra Leone. Soon, however, return to Africa was discouraged. In subsequent years, blacks continued to discuss the option of immigrating to Canada, Latin America, or Europe in order to escape discrimination.
Discrimination against blacks was intense throughout the United States. Although blacks could vote in some northern states in the years after the Civil War, political participation, land ownership, and social contact with whites was still quite restricted. Most southern and some northern states prohibited the entry of blacks into certain hotels, malls, parks or other public places. It was still hard for African-Americans to find good jobs since white workers resented competition from blacks for jobs. Although southern blacks faced much more discrimination than northern blacks did, they had the opportunity to work as farmers and own property. In New Orleans, for example, 5000 blacks owned property. Most southern blacks lived on their farms, tending to their crops.
Discrimination is still a major problem in some areas, even today, although there have been great improvements. Today, African-Americans can vote freely, run for office, go wherever they choose to without being insulted, and most importantly, African-Americans are now truly being treated equally!
Works Cited
1. Coombs, Norman. Experience in America. 1999
2. www.americanhistory.com \ African Americans
3. Fairman, Henrietta. Escape from Slavery. 1997.
4. "The American Civil War". Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. 2004.
5. The History Channel-" Biography"
6. John, Franklin and Moss, Alfred Jr. From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans.