This document passed down by the government about slaves escaping or kidnapped to get rich. The colored slaves needed to be returned to their rightful owner.
Slavery in North America
Interesting facts about how slavery started and a famous person who gave hope again. :)
The beginning of Slavery
Slavery started in the late eighteen century when the people thought that slavery was the solution to a big problem that was common. There were jobs that no one wanted to be apart of and slavery would earn people the money they were hoping for. The slave trade started to form and the middle passage became extremely useful. The slaves were being labored everyday on the plantations.
But that is not how slavery was introduced to North America specifically. North America was introduced to slavery by early settlers who came from New England ready to claim land.
Soon native americans had slaves of their own. Long before the war, If you were on the losing side or got kidnapped by the other side you might end up as a slave for them. Slavery had started increasing through out the world and Laws began to form.
Laws that formed were about how if a slave escaped, by law you would have to return it to it's rightful owner like as if the slaves were a dog who didn't have any rights to be against their owner. These laws decreased the hopes of slaves that wanted freedom and there was no hope to escape their prison. But if they were to escape they would suffer pain and a punishment. HOW CRUEL!!!!!
This picture shows the Triangular Slave Trade and the process of the raw materials to Europe then manufactured goods to Africa and then the slaves are transported to the West Indies. This was the Atlantic to the West Indies trade.
Slavery differed regionally in North america by the way the slaves worked and their population, how they counted slaves.
When the states agreed to count slavery in 1787 , they didn't count each individual African American slave as a whole person. Instead they counted African American slaves as 3/5's of a person. (look all the way down)
In Addition some slaves didn't work on the plantations most of the time. Some slaves would work in the house and were treated with more respect and better clothing than the slaves in North America. The African slaves in North America wore rags and worked in the hot field all day and not treated with respect.
This is 3/5 compromise....
The white people were considered as 1 whole person and the African American slaves were considered as 3/5 of a person because the taxes were really high and also when the states counted the population, they all agree that the slaves would counted as 3/5 or a person. This would get the states more money and representatives.
North America also had a law that the women who were slaves that gave birth, their child would become a slave as well. This is a connection to Fredrick Douglas because his mother was a slave but his father was his Master. So this means that slave women would get raped by their master and produce more so that the Master would get more slaves and get rich without having to spend money.
This also means for the government, they would get more representatives it they counted the new slaves. which would mean a powerful government and more opinions about it.
The impact of The Revolutionary War on slavery is that before the War the population of slavery around the world has increased because there were less free states and more slavery states .
But after the American Revolution the population of slaves around the world has decreased because not a lot of states enforced the laws about slavery anymore and and wanted to become a free state. The governments realized that slavery was not the solution to the jobs that were not being taken.
The farmers of the Constitution made a government that protected slavery and its supporters by making a law saying the African American slaves count as 3/5s of a person while the white people count at 1 whole person. This is making the African American slaves count as the population to get more representatives. More representatives mean more opinions being heard about how slavery is the solution.
Also The government is protecting Slavery by making the Fugitive law. This law states that if a slave is trying to run away then someone has to return that slave to its rightful owner. This means that the slaves have no way of escaping which helps the government keep slavery.
Frederick Douglas history
Fredrick Douglas was not like any other slave in the world. He has a interesting history behind his childhood and also the relation to the law.
Interesting Facts about Fredrick Douglas:
- Fredrick Douglas was born in Tuckahoe, near Hillsbrough in Maryland and his mother was named Harriet Bailly.
- She was a slave just like him and her parents where Africa American slaves also.
- Fredrick's father was not a slave. he was actually a white man. His father was a abolitionist and didn't treat Fredrick as a loving and caring father.
- Fredrick's father was actually Fredrick's master and his moms master.
- Soon, Fredrick got separated from his mother at a young age and he didn't know his father very well.
Over the years Fredrick has been a slave for his father but never gave up on helping slaves getting freedom and moving to free states just like Harriet Tubmen. During his work on the plantations Fredrick could never speak about his parents because he only knew his mother so well. Whispers and rumors were heard that Fredrick's father was their master. Fredrick had an education that was the best you can get when you are a slave.
Fredrick Douglas was not a slave for his whole life. He escaped the plantation at the age of 20 and pursued his life goal achievement, to become a writer and a orator. in the free state he escaped to he became a proud anti-slave activist fighting for other states to get rid of slavery and bing freedom.