Slavery in the United States (jan 1, 1501 – dec 1, 1807)

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The cruel act of slavery was where the ground roots of racism and utter disrespect against African Americans in the United States began. Stratford.org (6) describes why the Europeans considered the African Americans as only suited for slavery in this line, "With the expansion of the Atlantic slave trade toward the end of the seventeenth century, theories of black inferiority abounded. It was, after all, in the interest of slave traders and slave owners to propagate the myth that Africans were not human beings, or at least not fully human, a species different from the rest of humanity. Defined as brutish and bestial, heathen and savage, Africans seemed to Europeans as fit only for slavery," (Stratford.org 1). Since the African Americans were subject to such a large amount of discrimination, the liberation of the slaves caused a large amount of the White population in the U.S. to be outraged. The NAACP (12) describes why the population of White people were so furious with this, "Once black were given their freedom, many people felt that the freed blacks were getting away with too much freedom and felt they needed to be controlled," (NAACP 1). Another reason to why the White population in the U.S. were angered by the abolition of slavery was because of how slavery played a large role in the Southern economy. Here, Encyclopedia.com (7) states how slavery was a large part of the Southern economy, "With its mild climate and fertile soil, the South became an agrarian society, where tobacco, rice, sugar, cotton, wheat, and hemp undergirded the economy. Because of a labor shortage, landowners bought African slaves to work their massive plantations, and even small-scale farmers often used slave labor as their means allowed. As the region developed, industries developed too, particularly those needed to process the local crops or extract natural resources. These industries often employed non landowning whites as well as slaves, either owned or leased. In urban areas, most slaves were employed in domestic service; yet, some worked in transportation, manufacturing, and food processing," (Encyclopedia.com 1). It is easily interpreted how a shortage of slaves would affect the functioning of many farms in the South . This anger fueled by the abolition of slavery would then lead to more violence and racism going into the 20th century.

(6) Stratford.org is an Academy that is a college-preparatory school.

(7) Encyclopedia.com is a site that seems similar to wikipedia, but has more reliable and specific information.

(12) The NAACP is an organization that works for the equality of African Americans.

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