History of American Slavery

Developments in American Slavery: 1790-1808

The Cotton gin is considered as one of the major factors which were responsible for shaping the economic, political and social infrastructure of America (HTI, 2007). However, the same Cotton Gin fostered the racial slavery in the region to at large scale. This invention affected the African-American slaves most seriously; the rich farmlands of American West demanded increased number of racial slaves to support them in the process of Cotton cultivating. Thus, the racial slavery expanded significantly during the period 1790 and 1860. This was the period when transatlantic slave trade was legal in America.

In January 1808, the laws prohibited the importation of slaves in the region. If it did not happen, millions of black slaves would have entered the United States in order to serve the rich Americans. In absence of slavery prohibition rule, the United States might have become a slave-based empire.

Slaves' Life on a Louisiana Sugar Plantation

The lives of slaves working in Louisiana Sugar Plantation were significantly different than the slaves who worked in different plantations (Gudmestad, 2007, pp.423). The working conditions were more like a factory, and the slaves had to be perfectly skilled. There was a significant imbalance between the number of men and women workers, and the death rate was quite high. The plantation owners offer attractive incentives in order to squeeze more labor from the slaves.

Treatment with Free Blacks

The lives of the free black people who lived in the states where slavery was legally prohibited were far better than those who live in the states where slavery was allowed. In the latter ones, mostly the black people were not allowed to own their lands, to travel freely, and even to attend the prayers as there was a risk of rebellion if the slave would have come to communication with these black people. In most of the states, black people were not even allowed to vote or to educate their children. On the other hand, the slaves who lived in the states where slavery was legally prohibited enjoyed a better life style and were successful in getting a better economic and social position; however they could never get the rights equal to the white people.

Roles of Enslaved Americans

The enslaved men mainly had to herd the farms, work for cultivation, work in plantation and mines. The slaves were hired according to their physical built and working ...