Colonial America
Comparative Systems of Slavery & Race
Dr. Kane
mkane2@albany.edu Social Science 116 | MWF 12:35-1:30 PM
Office Hrs: M 10:20 - 11:20 & F 1:30 - 3:30 Social Science 60S
Wednesday, September 27
coming up
- EC: tomorrow! 11:30 Campus Center West Charlottesville roundtable
- History honors society
- midterm Monday October 9 - studyguide next week
today's class
- economic evolution of slavery
- tobacco, sugar, and labor
- comparative gender & race
timeline of law & race
- limpieza de sangre (Spanish) - 1449
- Barbados (English) - 1661
- Jamaica (English) - 1664
- Louisiana (French) - 1685
- Carolina (English) - 1696
- Virginia (English) - 1705
- New York (English) - 1712
New York & northern slavery
- product: household or skilled trades
- labor: "half-freedom"
- family: allowed & encouraged
- mixed-gender
- scope: 1-2 enslaved people in household
Chesapeake tobacco
- product: tobacco, wheat, skilled trades
- labor: "ganging"
- family: discouraged
- mainly female
- scope: 2-3 enslaved people per farm
low-country rice
- product: rice, indigo, livestock
- labor: "tasking"
- family: allowed & encouraged
- mainly female
- scope: 2-20 enslaved people per farm
Caribbean sugar
- product: sugar, rum, livestock
- labor: ganging
- family: discouraged
- mainly male
- scope: 50-300 enslaved people per plantation
tobacco farming
sugar farming
sugar farming
living conditions
what does rebellion look like?
- armed rebellion: Jamaica & Barbados every ~5 years
- Maroonage: Dominica, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, St. Vincent
- work stoppage/slowage & sabotage
- traveling & running away temporarily
- suicide, abortion, birth control