-
1502
New World slavery of Africans begins in Hispaniola
Ten years after Christopher Colombus had landed, African slaves were first brought to labor on plantations. Originally, the new settlers had enslaved Native Americans but as they were susceptible to new diseases such as smallpox, they were dying at an alarming rate. The new slaves brought over had been slaves in Europe and had resistance to smallpox. The African slaves gradually replaced Native Americans as the main laborers and set a precedent for the massive slave trade that followed. -
1542
New Laws of 1542 discourage enslaving natives in the West Indies and the market for importing enslaved Africans begins to grow
Charles V implemented the New Laws after persistence from Bartolome de las Casas to prevent the exploitation of Native Americans. The New Laws stated that there was no reason for the Spaniards to further enslave the Natives and that those who were enslaved should be freed immediately. The Viceroy of Peru, Blasco Vela, attempted to enforce these laws and was promptly murdered during a rebellion. The failure of the New Laws allowed for the expansion and continuation of slavery in the New World. -
At Jamestown, Virginia, approximately 20 captive Africans arrive
According to John Rolfe, a Dutch merchant ship brought “20 and odd” Africans to Jamestown to work as servants. In reality, it was an English warship carrying African prisoners taken from Portuguese ships. These captives were not slaves but indentured servants and worked on farms to assist the colonists in their attempt to survive. The custom of indentured servants established at Jamestown slowly evolved into slavery and life-long servitude. -
John Punch is sentenced to serve as a slave for the rest of his life
John Punch accompanied by two other white indentured servants attempted to flee to Maryland to escape servitude. All three were caught and returned to Virginia to face sentencing by the Virginia Governer’s Council. Punch was sentenced to servitude for life while the others just got increased sentences. This made Punch the first official slave in the Colonies and set a precedent for court-based racial prejudice. -
Massachusetts becomes the first colony to legalize slavery
Massachusetts became the first colony to legalize slavery through the passage of the Body of Liberties. The Body of Liberties states that slavery would be allowed if the slaves were, “strangers as willingly sell themselves or are sold to us” or captives taken in war. It also reserves the right to submit new people to slavery in the future. This doctrine was incorporated into the Articles of New England Confederation and allowed for the slave trade to be legalized and expanded. -
The Royal African Company is founded
King Charles II granted the RAC its charter and placed under the control of his brother James, (eventually King James II), creating a monopoly over West African trade. During its peak, the company transported 5,000 slaves per year, each branded with the RAC crest. Even the RAC could not keep up with the increasing slave demand and lost its monopoly in 1689. Despite this, the RAC helped England lead the world in slave trading from the late 17th to early 18th-centuries. -
Dunmore's Proclamation
John Murray, Earl of Dunmore and governor of Virginia declared martial law and proclaimed that all slaves who ran away from their owners and joined Royal Forces would be granted freedom. The Proclamation prompted a flood of slaves to leave both Loyalist and Patriot plantation owners and caused Dunmore to face political backlash from both sides. Dunmore was eventually forced out of Virginia and the Proclamation failed. Over the course of the war, over 80,000 slaves escaped from plantations. -
Black Minutemen participate in the battles at Lexington and Concord
The battles at Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the Revolutionary War. Along with famous combatants such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, black minutemen participated in the battles. George Washington had declared that the Colonial Army was required to accept the service of free blacks and slaves. Serving side-by-side on the battlefield allowed for greater respect between white and black soldiers. -
Eli Whitney invents the Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney created the cotton gin to quickly and efficiently separate the cotton fibers from their seeds. This expedited cotton processing and allowed for larger amounts of cotton to be cleaned in a smaller amount of time. With cotton processing times decreasing, demand for more raw cotton increased and the slaves had to supply even more labor. The added stress of picking more cotton worsened slave conditions and created a demand for more slaves. -
Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves
After 1820, slave trading was declared piracy. Sailors were not willing to risk their lives working for meager earnings aboard a slave ship and slave trading decreased. Enforcing the law was difficult as the Atlantic Ocean is vast and juries who tried the slavers that were caught were sympathetic did not execute any of them. The Act was not truly enforced until the Lincoln administration by which time slavery was close to being abolished and the law had been in effect for 40 years. -
Citations
Pruitt, Sarah. “What Was the Royal African Company?” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Apr. 2016, https://www.history.com/news/what-was-the-royal-african-company.
Johnson, Matthew. “Timeline of Events Relating to the End of Slavery.” Massachusetts Historical Society: The Case for Ending Slavery, http://www.masshist.org/teaching-history/loc-slavery/essay.php?entry_id=504.
“Slavery and the Making of America. Timeline: PBS.” THIRTEEN, https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/slavery/timeline/1773.html.
