Slavery
Definition
Slavery is a system in which individuals, known as slaves, are treated as property and forced to work without consent or pay. In the context of US history, it refers primarily to the African slave trade from the 16th to 19th centuries.
Analogy
Imagine being forced to play a never-ending game where you have no rights, no rewards and can't quit—that's what slavery was like for millions of people.
Related terms
Middle Passage: The sea journey undertaken by slave ships from West Africa to the West Indies.
Abolitionism: The movement in opposition to slavery, often demanding immediate, uncompensated end to slavery.
Emancipation Proclamation: An executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862 that declared all slaves in Confederate-held territory were free (effective January 1, 1863).
"Slavery" appears in:
Study guides (3)
Practice Questions (20+)
- How did slavery impact the development of the United States during this period?
- Where did slavery persist after the Revolutionary War?
- How did the Market Revolution impact slavery?
- Slavery played a crucial role in the economic development of the English colonies in North America. Which of the following cash crops heavily relied on enslaved labor?
- How did indentured servitude differ from slavery in colonial America?
- How does Phillis Wheatley’s poem “On Being Brought from Africa to America” reflect her unique point of view that might limit its use as a primary source in understanding slavery?
- What could be a potential consequence if indentured servitude hadn't been replaced by slavery in early colonial America?
- When was slavery finally abolished in the United States?
- What was the justification used by some individuals and groups in the United States to defend slavery?
- What were some of the specific issues that contributed to sectional tensions over slavery in the United States?
- Which legislation abolished slavery in the United States?
- Which act abolished slavery throughout the United States?
- What could be one potential outcome had indentured servitude remained the dominant labor system instead transitioning into slavery during early Colonial Period?
- Which conflict arose due to disagreements about slavery in different regions of the British colonies?
- Which key legislation in the mid-18th century legalized slavery in the British colonies?
- How did Bacon's Rebellion influence colonial attitudes towards slavery?
- Which colonial figure was known for his writings objecting to slavery on moral grounds?
- What was one effect of conflicts about slavery on the development of political institutions in colonial America?
- How did disagreements over slavery impact relations between northern and southern colonies?
- What impact did the Stono Rebellion have on slavery in colonial South Carolina?
Resources
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