United States History Student Edition

Chained together for more than a month, crammed into dark, unventilated, lower decks, the captives could hardly sit or stand. They received little food or water. Captives who died or became sick were thrown overboard. Those who survived faced another terror when they reached American ports—the slave market. There they were put up for sale to plantation owners, farmers, and business owners. Some enslaved Africans on plantations did housework, but most labored in the fields. For 12–18 hours each day, enslaved Africans toiled in the hot Southern climate. The work was difficult and dangerous. As enslaved Africans cleared swampy areas for planting rice, wildlife such as snakes, alligators, and disease-carrying insects were a constant threat. Many of the enslaved suffered terrible cruelty at the hands of plantation managers, who were called overseers. Many colonies passed slave codes — repressive rules governing the behavior and punishment of enslaved Africans. Some slave codes made it illegal to teach an enslaved person to read or write. Slaveholders could punish enslaved persons for any reason by terrible means such as whipping, beating, or starvation. Those who tried to escape risked being hanged or burned to death if they were caught. Enslaved Africans’ families were often torn apart when a slaveholder sold a spouse, parent,

or child. Many enslaved persons found strength in their African roots. They developed a unique culture that blended elements of plantation life with the languages, customs, and religions of their African homelands. In the early colonial period, slavery existed in all the colonies. However, not all colonists believed in slavery. Abolitionists were people who wanted to outlaw slavery in the colonies. Quakers and Mennonites were religious groups that condemned slavery. Eventually, the debate over slavery would spark a bloody war between the North and South. 7 CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING 1. Analyzing How did geography affect the economy in New England, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies? 2. Identifying What was the Middle Passage? Government in America GUIDING QUESTION What concepts, beliefs, and ideas became the foundations of American government? When English colonists came to North America, they brought with them traditional English concepts of government. As these concepts blended with their own experiences, American colonists began developing new ideas about the form, function, and power of government. English Principles Popular beliefs about government had been developing in England over hundreds of years. A major event in English history occurred on June 15, 1215, when King John signed the Magna Carta, or Great Charter. This document gave English people protection against unjust treatment or punishment. By the 1600s, the English people had legal rights, such as trial by jury, that were uncommon or unknown elsewhere. At the heart of the English system were two principles of government—protecting rights and representative legislatures. These two principles greatly influenced the development of the United States as an independent nation. They are fundamental concepts on which the U.S. Constitution is based.

This watercolor, created around 1798, depicts an overseer and two enslaved women working in a garden in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

slave code repressive rules governing the behavior and punishment of enslaved Africans

The Picture Art Collection/Alamy Stock Photo

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