African Americans in Early America

I began to imagine myself living during the times of slave trade in  the New World exploration. As European settlers came over to America and basically transformed life by taking over the natives' land, there was also a new world beginning in the sense of power that African Americans would have here in America. "This began a whole new system where the color of your skin determined whether or not you will live your life as a slave." - Dr. Holden In 1619, a Dutch ship brings the first permanent African settlers to Jamestown. Africans soon are put to work on tobacco plantations. In 1663, a Virginia court decides that a child born to a slave mother is also a slave. After putting myself in a slave mothers shoes of birthing a child and knowing that he/she will grow up having no rights, never having the opportunity at education, and living a life of doing labor for nothing. The slave trade devastated African life after being forced into slavery in what is called the Middle Passage. The Middle Passage was the transport of slaves across the Atlantic Ocean. For weeks, months, and sometimes years, they waited in slave factories to be taken over. Slaves were traded for tobacco, corn, rice, etc. As they boarded the ships they had no idea what lied ahead. These ships consisted of hundreds of men and women packed with little breathing room or space for human wastes. Between ten and twenty percent of the men and women lost their lives on the way over. In Williamsburg, blacks had to find survival techniques, establish relationships with their “masters”, and learn to live in various, often brutal living conditions.

The majority of African Americans in this area worked on tobacco plantations and large farms. Tobacco was a labor intensive crop that took nearly 11 months which consisted of laying the bed seeds that occurred in January during the winter months where the weather was cold. The soil was ready in March where the tobacco seedlings were transplanted. By summer, this crop required constant care until it was ready to be shipped to England. For the slaves working on farms, there was little rest and difficult labor. They were also subject to brutal punishment because they are considered less valuable than those slaves who did not work on a farm, but rather in an urban area. Often times, slaves tried to run away to escape and survive. Sadly, many times this was unsuccessful.

           
On plantations such as those in the Chesapeake Bay area, slaves had a complete family unit, and their work often took place from the time the sun was up until it came down. They generally had Sundays off. The disadvantage to establishing a routine and working in an area where relationships were developed differently was being sold or transferred to a more domestic setting that was more cruel. Slaves had to depend on their masters for food, shelter, clothing and health care, while the masters depended on them for labor and services in return. These relationships became based around the amount and quality  work the slave imposed. Living during this time created hardship for many African Americans. This has carried through our history and started a power struggle that has evolved and changed over the years.

"History.org: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's Official History and Citizenship Website." Colonial Williamsburg History : History.org : The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's Official History and Citizenship Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.

 "Jefferson and Slavery at Monticello: Paradox of Liberty « Thomas Jefferson's Monticello." Thomas Jeffersons Monticello Blog RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2013.