Foundations of Enslavement in the Western Hemisphere

Chattel Slavery

A specific form of enslavement where one person has total ownership of another, treated as property.

Perpetuity

The characteristic of chattel slavery that means enslavement is for life.

Heredity

The characteristic of chattel slavery where the status is passed down to children.

Partus Sequitur Ventrem

A legal doctrine ensuring children born to enslaved women are enslaved based on the mother's status.

Gang System

A labor organization method where enslaved people work in groups under supervision, common in tobacco and sugar regions.

Task System

A labor organization method where individuals complete specific tasks with more personal time afterward, common in rice cultivation.

Mercantilism

An economic theory where colonies exist to generate wealth for the mother country.

Cash Crops

Crops like sugar, tobacco, rice, and cotton that drove the expansion of the slave trade.

King Cotton

A term referring to cotton's economic dominance in the 19th century after the invention of the cotton gin.

Gullah Geechee

A unique culture developed by enslaved Africans in the Lowcountry due to less white oversight.

Economic Engine

Slavery as a crucial component driving the economy of the Atlantic World.

Industrialization

The process that slavery fueled by providing cheap cotton for textile mills.

Violence and Coercion

The omnipresent threats of physical and psychological violence used to control enslaved individuals.

Cultural Resistance

Maintaining African religious practices and traditions as a form of resistance against oppression.

Fictive Kin

Networks created among enslaved individuals to provide social support and care for children.

Urban Enslavement

The presence of enslaved populations in urban areas, such as New York City during the colonial era.

Indentured Servitude

A contract labor system, mostly for white Europeans, with a set term for service and retained legal rights.

Enslaved People

Individuals who were subjected to the institution of slavery, who also maintained agency and culture.

Domestic Service

Jobs held by enslaved individual in households, relatively common in the North.

Tobacco

A major cash crop in Virginia and Maryland, contributing to the plantation economy.

Sugar

The most profitable cash crop, known as 'White Gold,' with a low life expectancy for enslaved workers.

Rice

A cash crop primarily cultivated in the Lowcountry requiring complex agricultural techniques.

Slave Quarters

Communal cabins where enslaved people lived, often away from the main house.

Resistance

Actions taken by enslaved people against their oppression, both violent and non-violent.

Racialization

The process by which chattel slavery specifically targeted people of African descent.

Metacognition

The awareness of one’s own learning process, important for recognizing common mistakes in understanding slavery.

Brutal System

The harsh realities and implications of slavery that forced enslaved individuals to build communities.