The Slave Experience in British America
Introduction
The pace and direction of development of the British America in 18th and 19th century was irregular due to the various conditions in the colonies. The same irregularity could be traced in the research of slave experience in the colonies in terms of their involvement in the economic life and stance in terms of rights and liberties. The present research paper is aimed at studying how the slavery evolved in certain colonies, and what was the role of different factors in the occurring differentiation.The research hypothesis is that the different economic models set prerequisites for various types of slavery, thus the amount of rights and liberties differed significantly in the North and in the South. Another important factor contributing to the differentiation were how the historical developments have taken place.
For instance, the Stono Rebellion has significantly undermined the slaves’ rights in South Carolina and lead to their further oppression, which has aggravated the existing situation.The aim of this study is to understand the connections between historical, economic, cultural and political factors of slavery. It shows that the amount of rights which enslaved people exercised depends firstly on the economic rationale, yet it is also connected to the fear of potential uprisings. The samples selected for the study are British Colonies in the South and in the North, where the slaves were exported extensively in the 18th century. The sources will include both primary sources (evidence of that period) and secondary (historical books and articles examining the situation).
Overview of the slavery in British Colonies
To support the thesis statement and present a historical perspective on the topic of slavery in British Colonies, it is necessary to resort to the sources which provide more in-depth information about the developments of that period.The 18th century have brought more than have of the total amount of slaves who were transported to the New World. This ignominious practice was a regular business of European, African and American merchants. Before that period, only a small proportion of slaves were destined to the mainland North America, however after 1700 the population of slaves in Britain colonies has substantially grown.
About 400-600 thousand of people have been imported, and by 1770 due to the natural reproduction about one-fifth the 2.3 million of persons were Africans and their descendants (Foner, 132).The mix of African religions and Christianity have impacted the situation with the slaves and their assimilation substantially. The experience of transition from their traditional religions to Christianity was a wrenching experience for the majority of slaves. Although some slaves who came to the colonies were familiar with Islam or Christianity, the majority of them have been adepts to local religions. These religions, although being different, shared the belief into the spiritual forces of nature and close connection between sacred and secular world, which made them more similar to Native Americans' beliefs than to the Christianity.
These religions were often considered a superstition or even …
