The Origins of Enslavement of African Americans in Colonial America

The history of slavery in colonial America is a complex and often overlooked part of the nation's past, filled with tragic events and an enduring legacy. For centuries, the practice of enslaving African Americans was not merely a matter of personal greed or local laws but a carefully developed system rooted in global economic and social structures.

From Kidnapping to Inherited Enslavement

The first generation of African captives brought to America were often not legally defined as slaves under English law. There were no pre-existing laws for determining the difference between an indentured servant, who was bound by contract to labor for a set period, typically seven years, and a person who was enslaved for life. This meant that the rules for slavery as it developed in America had to be created from scratch.

By the 1640s, however, the institution began to take shape. In that year, three escapees were caught and returned to their captors. The two who had been born across the Atlantic had their sentences extended, while John Punch, a man born in America, was sentenced to live the rest of his life as a slave, solidifying a precedent for inherited enslavement.

Legalization and Legitimacy

The establishment of the colony of South Carolina in the 1660s was explicitly modeled after the Barbados system, a form of permanent death labor camp. This early legalization of slavery was crucial for the development of the trans-Atlantic human trafficking industry, which operated legally for roughly two centuries, from 1619 to 1809.

While much is often made of the documents and guesses about how people were initially enslaved in Africa and then sold in the barracoons along the coast, the truth is more horrifying. The slave trade was not just a matter of European greed and local collaboration; it was an intricate system of exploitation based on brute force, control, and profit.

Perception and Reality

The perception that the local slave powers were the primary sellers of people to Europeans is a misconception. Historical evidence shows that Europeans had superior weapons, discipline, and support from the Pope, which allowed them to capture and enslave virtually anyone they encountered. This meant that coastal and riverine people, including leaders and members of their families, were similarly at risk.

The forts established by Europeans were designed to create allies who would provide a steady supply of healthy captives for enslavement or who would be enslaved themselves. This was a form of extortion on a massive scale where the coastal people, who heavily relied on the ocean, could not survive without access to salt water. It was impossible for them to escape salt-water sailors with guns, artillery, and disciplined military forces.

Systematic Exploitation

Taken together, these strategies formed a brutal and systematic method of exploitation. The draft of a new legal framework for slavery was necessary, as the colonists did not bring any laws or customs about slavery with them from England. The laws perfected by the 1670s in Virginia, for example, established that the child of an enslaved mother would also be enslaved, neatly setting the stage for widespread and profitable rape and exploitation.

Critical to the debate is the understanding that the slave trade was never as sophisticated as it is often portrayed. The division-and-conquer strategies employed in the Roman and British empires were more nuanced, while the Atlantic slave trade was more straightforward and less sophisticated, despite lasting for hundreds of years. It was not until the late 19th century, with the invention of eugenics by the Belgians, that the Hutu/Tutsi divide based on physical characteristics became a factor, but this concept was rooted in economic and military conquest rather than biological distinctions.

Financial Innovation and the Guinea

The financial side of the slave trade is often overlooked. The Dutch were instrumental in establishing the trade but eventually surrendered their forts to the English, who were making major innovations in finance. The gold coin they struck to literally finance the enslavement of laborers for the death camps in Barbados, Jamaica, and the Carolinas was called "the Guinea." The term "Guinea" served as a stark reminder of the human cost of this financial innovation.

In conclusion, the origins of enslavement in colonial America are a testament to the intersection of global economic interests, military conquest, and the dehumanization of an entire people. Understanding this history is crucial for navigating the complex legacies of this period and addressing the ongoing impacts of systemic racism in modern society.