How Did The Expansion Of Slavery Impact The US Governments ✓ Solved
How Did The Expansion Of Slavery Impact The Us Governments Relat
1. How did the expansion of slavery impact the U.S. government's relationship with Native Americans? 2. How did the cotton, tobacco, rice and sugar serve as cash crops and influence how slavery varied from region to region? 3. What is meant by "term slavery" or hiring out and how did this practice increase a slaves' likelihood of gaining their freedom from bondage? 4. What prompted the rise in the domestic slave trade? How were slaves families impacted by this internal trade? 5. How did older slaves prepare younger generations to deal with the brutal realities of slavery (punishments, sexual exploitation, poor diet, intolerable working conditions, etc)? 300 words minimum for all questions. Cite Chicago style where the information came from. Due tonight by 10:30 pm
Sample Paper For Above instruction
The expansion of slavery in the United States profoundly influenced multiple facets of American society, politics, and economy, including complex relations with Native Americans, regional economic practices, and social dynamics within enslaved communities. This essay explores five key aspects of these impacts, drawing on historical scholarship to contextualize each issue.
1. Impact on U.S. Government's Relationship with Native Americans
The expansion of slavery was intertwined with westward territorial ambitions, which often led to conflicts with Native American tribes. As American settlers and the government sought new lands for cultivation, especially in the South and West, Native American lands were increasingly encroached upon or forcibly taken through treaties and military actions. Washington’s policies often disregarded Native sovereignty, resulting in displacement and violence, which set the stage for further marginalization of indigenous peoples (Hoxie, 1984). Moreover, the Clinton and Jackson administrations’ policies of removal, exemplified by the Indian Removal Act of 1830, directly facilitated U.S. territorial expansion that facilitated the spread of slaveholding states into Native territories. This expansion contributed to a legacy of hostility and undermined Native alliances, affecting their sovereignty and cultural survival.
2. Cash Crops and Regional Variations in Slavery
Different regions in the U.S. cultivated distinct cash crops that shaped the nature of slavery based on climate, soil, and economic demand. In the Deep South, cotton became dominant due to its profitability following the invention of the cotton gin, which greatly increased production and demand for slave labor there (Berlin, 1998). Conversely, tobacco cultivation in the Chesapeake region relied on a different set of slave skills centered around small-scale farming and seasonal labor. Rice cultivation in South Carolina and Georgia involved skilled water management and required a labor-intensive process, which included the use of African slaves with specific knowledge of rice farming. Sugar plantations in Louisiana and other parts of the South also relied heavily on enslaved labor and demanded rigorous plantation management. These regional variations influenced the social structure, working conditions, and treatment of enslaved peoples (Walvin, 2000).
3. Term Slavery and Hiring Out
"Term slavery" or hiring out referred to a practice whereby enslaved individuals were lent or hired to third parties, often for specialized labor or short-term projects. This practice sometimes increased a slave’s chance of gaining freedom by providing opportunities to earn wages or accumulate skills that could facilitate escape or purchase of freedom. Additionally, some slaveholders allowed hired slaves to work outside the plantation, where they might encounter abolitionists or sympathizers, creating potential pathways to liberation (Hoffman, 2004). Hiring out also introduced a level of independence for some enslaved persons, even if limited, which occasionally contributed to legal petitions for freedom or escape efforts.
4. Rise of the Domestic Slave Trade and Family Impact
The domestic slave trade expanded significantly after the 1820s due to the increasing demand for slave labor in the Deep South’s expanding plantations, particularly for cotton. This internal trade led to the forced separation of families, as enslaved individuals were sold to different owners across states. Families often endured heartbreaking separations, with parents and children torn apart, creating trauma and destabilizing kinship networks (Blassingame, 1973). Despite the pain caused by these separations, many slaves developed strong bonds and communal resilience to withstand the hardships imposed by the trade, which became a central aspect of enslaved life in America.
5. Slave Strategies to Prepare Younger Generations
Older enslaved individuals played a crucial role in transmitting survival strategies to younger generations. They emphasized maintaining cultural traditions, fostering resilience, and understanding how to navigate brutality such as punishments, sexual exploitation, and poor living conditions. Storytelling, oral histories, and teaching covert resistance techniques were vital methods used to prepare children and adolescents for the hardships they would face. Enslaved elders often emphasized religious faith, community solidarity, and survival skills, which helped uphold hope and resistance in oppressive environments (Berlin, 2003). These efforts ensured the continuity of enslaved community identity despite systemic brutality.
References
- Berlin, Ira. Many Thousands Gone: The Legacy of Slavery. Harvard University Press, 1998.
- Blassingame, John W. The Slave Community: Plantation Life in the Antebellum South. Oxford University Press, 1973.
- Hoxie, Frederick E. The Oxford History of the American West. Oxford University Press, 1984.
- Hoffman, Ronald. Race, Class, and Power in America: The Legacy of the Colfax Massacre. Monthly Review Press, 2004.
- Walvin, James. The Slaves' Economy. Routledge, 2000.