Experiences of Natives and African Slaves in the Americas
Essay Prompt
Non-Europeans in the colonies. Native peoples and African slaves experienced a “New World” in the American colonies as a result of European expansion and economic interests. Describe the experience of both Natives and African slaves in the Americas, including specifics on both Creoles and later plantation-generation Africans.
1. What was life like for Africans in the American colonies?
2. How did Creoles arrive in the colonies compared to later plantation generation slaves?
3. Where were they taken? What specific types of labor systems existed to oversee slaves?
4. What did that mean for their working conditions?
5. How did Natives initially respond to the presence of European colonists?
6. Did that change as time went on?
7. How were Native and African experiences similar?
8. How were they different?
Instructions
Respond to the prompt above in a formal essay of at 3 full pages of text. This must include an introduction, body, and conclusion. The essay should be written in third person, past tense--steer clear of "I", "me", and "we" in your work. Make sure you include specific examples from the course material.
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Experiences of Natives and African Slaves in the Americas
Slave trade resulted in the increased presence of Africans and Creoles across Non-European colonies such as the Americas. Rich plantation owners could purchase African slaves who were compelled to labor in their large plantations of cotton and tobacco, among other common cash crops, during the 17th and 18th centuries. The slaves that successfully crossed the transatlantic were exposed to a change of identity often championed by the slave masters (Berlin 64-65). This included giving those in captivity new names that would stick from the slave owner to the overseer. This paper discusses the experiences of both Natives and African slaves in the Americas, including specifics on both Creoles and later plantation-generation Africans.
Life for Africans in the American colonies included a loss of identity that started with the change of names to include what the slave master believed fitted their slaves. The objective was to isolate them from their African inheritance. According to Berlin, Africans were disparaged and ridiculed in the Chesapeake (65). They were exposed to harsh living and working conditions that were often fueled by slave masters’ abuse. This included disregard for proper shelter and food. In the plantations, overseers were brutal and could easily ‘punish’ Africans. They were exposed to isolation, which included lack of exposure to kin, disease-infested areas, and poor clothing, which often increased their mortality rates.
Creoles are considered the first group of slaves to reach the Americas. Creoles were considered an indigenous population with self-sustaining tendencies. They are considered transatlantic Creoles because they moved across the Atlantic, through Europe colonies to the Americas. Atlantic creoles originated from West Africa and were first shipped to Europe and then the Americas, where they served as intermediaries (Berlin 67). Atlantic creoles were also prone to bearing Africa, Europe, and America’s features even though they barely originated from the above regions. This was a similar experience for Africans during the plantation era since most were compelled to assume local identities, which further shaped their experiences.
Most of the slaves during this period were compelled to work in plantations that often had an overseer. Unlike the Atlantic Creoles, that served diplomatic roles and intermediaries and limited the language barrier, later plantation generation slaves were taken to work in cash crop plantations where they were compelled to embrace slave labor. The primary focus was on e...