PRESENTATION OUTLINE
In 1617, the first Africans are imported as slaves to Jamestown, Virginia.
But in the early 18th century, slavery was temporary under a contract of indentured servitude.
In 1840, John Punch was sentenced to servitude for life. He became the first lifetime slave.
In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon led a rebellion of indentured servants against their masters. The landscape of service was forever changed.
After the rebellion, slavery became racial. Also starting with Virginia, slavery also became hereditary.
After Eli Witney invented the cotton gin, cotton became king in the South, and slavery increased to accompany this demand.
This demand for cotton drove the entire US economy, from the planters in the South to the bankers in the North.
Virginia's economy became based on selling slaves to the south and the west, when international slave trade was abolished in 1808
Slaves were forced to march in coffles, and once they arrived, they were treated terribly.
Slaves were given quotas, and were savagely beaten if they did not meet them.
Slaves culture developed around the extended family, since one could be sold off at any time
Slave culture developed around worship, where they created music and language
