Compare and Contrast American Slavery to British Slavery - Term Paper Example

?Introduction Slavery has a long history and was considered as one of the norms of the societies however, it subsequently declined and finally was banned as civilization progressed over the period of time. Slavery is considered as a phenomenon where people are considered as property and can be bought and sold like other commodities. What is also important to note that people taken under slavery were often forced to work against their wish for no or relatively meager wages and other form of compensation. Though the history of slavery is long and it remained institutionalized also however, later on it was abolished through laws. What is also important to note that slavery still exists in some other forms and people are still being slaved for different reasons. Recent news from Britain highlight that it may be existing in its traditional form even in societies like Britain in this era also. US and Britain are two of the most important countries in the world with rich history of slavery. Though both these countries are the developed countries but both these countries have a history of slavery and slave trade and it was legally abolished in 19th century. It is however, important to note that the nature of slavery and its mechanics were different in both the countries. This paper will discuss and highlight the comparison and contrast between the slavery in both these countries with special emphasis on how historical the patterns of slavery changed over the period of time in both these countries. Slavery in Britain Slavery in Britain is often less talked of and is find rare mention in the academic literature however; Britain was one of the few countries which abolished the slavery trade in 1807 despite the fact that slave trade was one of the profitable occupations in the country. The overall history of slavery in Britain is however, more than 2000 years old with evidence of Romans mentioning about the British slaves. What is relatively different about Briton slaves was the fact that they enjoyed few rights and were not easily replaceable. However, they could marry with the consent of their Lord and had to work for fixed number of days without actually expecting payment for the work rendered. From 16th century to 19th century, Britain were also forced as slaves by the Barbary Pirates who were able to capture British ships and forced the sailors to slavery and were traded as slaves in other markets. (Morgan 2007) It is critical to note that the British Slave trade was the significant part of the overall history of slavery in the country. Slaves from North and East Africa were a common practice and Britain along with other European nations was actively involved in the trade of slaves from this region. More importantly, slaves were traded because Britain required labor and manpower to develop the land and its resources in Americas. The British slave trade therefore was largely based upon the notion of providing required manpower to the landowners as plantation owners in Americas. However, history of slavery trade in Britain also dates back to 1500s wherein British slave traders filled in the gap to provide slaves for sugar plantation in Americas and exported the processed sugar back to other countries of Europe. The Britain therefore became part of the Triangular trade in slavery wherein Portuguese as well as Dutch were involved in the slave trade also. Britain made a late entry into this market to fill in the gap left open by these two nations. (Morgan, 2000) The Workhouse slavery was another form of slavery which emerged in United Kingdom. This sort of slavery flourished wherein those who were poor with no alternatives were assigned to workhouses and were put under the forced labor. Workhouses also took new born illegitimate babies and subsequently put them in forced labor as they grew old and became capable of working. The modern roots of slavery in Britain also suggest that those who were convicted or punished were often sent as slaves to work on the government projects in the colonies of the British Government. This sort of enforced labor was actually done through the courts wherein convicted individuals were transported to the British Colonies to serve on the government projects as a part of their punishment. The indentured servants were either assigned to the free individuals with restricted freedom. Many were not given the full rights including not marrying without the permission of their Masters. Later history of Slaves and the legal decisions made by the courts also legitimized the Black Slaves who were taken as servants in London and Edinburgh and were legally formalized as slaves. Apart from this, the Church of England was also accused of slavery as the Church owned sugar plantations in West Indies. The institution of slavery however was formally abolished through Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 however, the efforts of William Wilberforce to abolish slavery within the Kingdom are also considered as important. (Ryden 2010) Slavery in US Slavery in US was being practiced since British Colonial period and one of the striking similarities between the two is the fact that Britain served as suppliers of slaves to the US. As such, US were one of the biggest markets for purchasing salves from British and other European Traders. What is critical to note however that slavery was more institutionalized within US as compared to Britain where efforts were being made from time to abolish it. In US, however, it was institutionalized and it was further formalized with the declaration of independence by United States of America. (Oakes 2013) Another important distinction between the patterns of slavery between the two parts of the world was the regional concentration of the slavery. Greater degree of abolitionism was witnessed within the North of America however; spread of the cotton trade within the South Region further flourished the slavery despite the formal efforts to abolish slavery within the country. As such, slavery within US was having regional dimension whereas in Britain it flourished across the whole country. Further, during the colonial period, the larger concentration of slaves was in thirteen colonies of the country rather than it was spread across the whole country. This regional concentration of the slaves suggests a marked difference from the patterns of slavery observed within Britain. (Sundquist 1995) The patterns of slavery were also different in North and South of America as in North slaves was usually taken as house servants, craftsmen and laborers whereas in South, slaves were used for agriculture purposes. In Britain, slaves were however, mostly taken as house servants and performed less labor intensive work as compared to the slaves working in the plantations and agriculture fields in US and in other parts of the world. This factor therefore clearly differentiates the slavery in Britain from the slaves in US. (Kolchin 1995) Another important contradiction between the patterns of slavery in two regions was the legalization of the slavery. During 18th century, slavery was unenforceable at common law in England however, the same was not applicable to the colonies as such within United States, it was legalized and institutionalized with proper legal back up in different States. The existing legal codes for slavery within some of the States of US such as Virginia further formalized the definition of slaves as those individuals who were not from the Christian nations. This formalization of slaves and their categorization however, not existing within Britain. It was also the reason that many runaway slaves attempted to reach to Britain in a hope that they will be free men according to the legal protection available to them. As such, in US, slaves faced relatively tough situation as compared to Britain and were subject to sever conditions and restricted freedom. Most of the slaves worked in plantations and formed the significant portion of the overall population. Majority of the slaves in both the countries were from North Africa and were blacks. Conclusion There are certain critical differences in the way slavery developed and evolved both in US and Britain. US being the one of the colonies of Britain inherited this from the parent country and further institutionalized and formalized it. This formalization was through the use of legislations at the State level as well as at society’s level. What is critical to note is the fact that Britain played the role of supplier of slaves for US as both the South as well as the North part of the country required slaves. There were also certain regional differences in the way slavery was practiced within the country. In South, incidences of slavery were higher as compared to North wherein slaves were used as the house servants whereas in South, slaves were used for the plantation and agriculture purposes. In Britain, slavery was abolished through systematic legal efforts and common law practices however; in US slavery was legalized and only abolished after the independence of the country. Common law prohibited the slavery however; Church of England was accused of slavery also because of slaves working in the plantations owned by the Church in West Indies. Bibliography Kolchin, Peter. American Slavery: 1619-1877. London: Penguin Books, 1995. Morgan, Kenneth. Slavery and the British Empire: From Africa to America . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. —. Slavery, Atlantic Trade and the British Economy, 1660-1800. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Oakes, James. Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861-1865. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2013. Ryden, David Beck. West Indian Slavery and British Abolition, 1783-1807. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Sundquist, Eric J. Empire and Slavery in American Literature, 1820-1865. Mississippi: Univ. Press of Mississippi, , 1995. Read More