Question

Respond to the following prompts in a post with a minimum of 150 words, commenting on other posts is optional.

Slave labor and the African slave trade formed the backbone of the American colonial economy. In fact, slavery formed a cornerstone of the British Empire in the eighteenth century. Every colony had enslaved people, from the southern rice plantations in Charles Town, South Carolina, to the northern wharves of Boston. Moreover, slavery was more than a labor system. In your opinion, how did slavery influence the colonial thought and culture.

Answer 1

Slavery in colonial America impacted economy, social hierarchy, and legal systems, establishing racial distinctions and an exaggerated sense of liberty among White colonists. It influenced thought and culture, coexisting with intellectual movements like the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment.

Step-by-step explanation:

The institution of slavery was more than just a labor system in the colonial American economy; it had profound impacts on colonial thought and culture. The practice of enslaving African people created a racial bond among White colonists, fostering an exaggerated sense of their own freedom and status in contrast to the enslaved Black population. This perception of English liberty and superiority among White colonists thrived on the existence of an unfree class. The economic benefits reaped from slavery, such as the production of tobacco and rice, led to an emerging economic aristocracy and political ruling class in colonies from South Carolina to New England. These landowners cherished the liberty and freedom made possible by the toil of slaves on their expansive plantations.

Slavery also gave rise to racial distinctions not previously present, as seen in the legal differentiation between White Europeans and Africans, particularly engaged by the elite in Virginia. This was a purposeful construct to manage an increasing population of poor White former servants and to legitimize the enslavement of Africans. Consequently, racism became the foundational principle of the entire colonial labor system, shaping the fabric of colonial society and its legal structures.