History 1301.2q
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- What evidence suggests that John Smith made up the story of his rescue by Pocahontas? Assuming that this event did happen, how might Smith have misinterpreted it, and how might it be interpreted differently?
- In his earliest published descriptions of the Virgina colony there was no evidence to suggest that he had met ‘Pocahontas’. This story seems to be too good to be true b/c it not only happens once but twice in his lifetime. He escaped almost certain death. Once with Turks and once with the Indians. He was did not have previous knowledge of indian tradition. This forced him to make many assumptions as to what was going while he was there. Smith may have misinterpreted it b/c her saving him could have been been part of the ritual all along.
- What role did Africans play in the enslavement and sale of slaves?
- Africans did not think of themselves as africans, but rather as separate tribes. One tribe would do a slave raid and sell off the other tribe to white men. Overtime the raiders pushed deeper into the uncharted territory. Whites could not go inland b/c they would die of disease.
- How did traditional African slavery differ from American chattel slavery?
- ⬢ Status was taken differently ⬢ Traditional: taken from father ⬢ Chattel: taken from mother ⬢ Rights ⬢ Traditional: slaves had some rights ⬢ Chattel: owner could dispose of slaves as they saw fit ⬢ pretty much anything without any consequences
- Why was the mortality rate so high in Virginia? Identify as many factors as you can that account for the exceptionally high death rate, both in its earliest phase (1607-10) and later years (1612-25).
- People were not able to get the essential needs for living b/c they did not know how. The people sent over where artisans and they needed farmers to provide food.
- Why did early Virginians adopt indentured servitude as their preferred labor system? What were the implications for slaves and free blacks during the first few decades after settlement? Why didn’t they embrace slavery before the 1680s?
- There was a ready supply of servants from England. It was not cost effective to by a slave when they wouldn’t live long. When you could get an indentured servant cheaper for the same period of time.
- When and why did Virginia turn toward slavery?
- Virginians turned toward slavery in the 1660s b/c mortality rate dropped, so slaves became more cost effective, economic downturn and competition from other colonies led to decrease in the servant pool. racial chattel slavery was taking shape in colonial law and bacon’s rebellion.
- What caused Bacon’s Rebellion? Why was it a turning point in the move toward slavery in Virginia?
- In 1676 Nathaniel Bacon was the leader of the rebellion. The lower class of free white men were being exploited by the upper class. they were forced on the outer rim of the town, leaving exposed to indian attacks. The government was corrupt and this led to a revolt. Initial rebellion succeeded but collapsed b/c of bacons death. Important because this showed that exploiting free poor whites leads to class conflict. Must give poor white men rights, power, opportunity. slavery is solution. slavery and freedom go hand in hand. one depends on other.
- Who were the first settlers in the colony of South Carolina? What was the original purpose of the colony?
- they were colonized by younger sons of barbadian sugar planters and their slaves. for the first 25 years the original purpose of the colony was to be a provisioning economy supplying beef, corn, and timber to barbados.
- South Carolina began as a society with slaves and evolved into a slave society. What was the catalyst in this transformation? How did this transformation change the lives of slaves?
- The catalyst in the transformation from a society with slaves to a slave society was rice plantations. Work was more gueling, longer, and more deadly. Customary privileges curtailed, movement and assembly was not was restricted.
- What caused the Stono Rebellion? Why was it important?
- happened in September 1739, it was fueled by a Spanish offer of freedom to English slaves who escaped to Florida. It was a day long revolt that attracted 100 slaves and left 20 to 25 whites dead. By the end of the day the rebellion was put down with brutal retaliation. This led to the passage of the Negro Act, enforcing limits of slave privileges.