Class Notes: Slavery - Historical Overview

Date: [Current Date]

I. Introduction

Definition of Slavery:
Historical Context: Practice of owning and exploiting individuals as
property
Economic Basis: Labor-intensive industries and agriculture

Historical Antecedents:
Ancient Civilizations: Forms of servitude
African Slavery: Pre-colonial systems

II. Transatlantic Slave Trade (15th-19th centuries)

Origins:
European Exploration: Contact with Africa
Demand for Labor: Plantations in the Americas

Middle Passage:
Conditions on Slave Ships: Brutal and inhumane
Mortality Rates: Impact on transported Africans

III. Slavery in the Americas

Colonial America:
Introduction of Slavery: Jamestown, 1619
Legal Codes: Development of slave laws

Economic Basis:
Agricultural Economy: Plantations and cash crops
Labor Intensity: Contribution to economic prosperity

IV. Life under Slavery

Daily Lives of Enslaved Individuals:

Work Conditions: Long hours and harsh conditions
Families and Communities: Challenges and resilience

Resistance and Rebellion:

Slave Uprisings: Nat Turner, Denmark Vesey
Escape: Underground Railroad

V. Abolition Movements

Enlightenment and Abolitionist Ideas:

Philosophical Shift: Human rights and equality
Abolitionist Movements: Emergence in the 18th and 19th centuries

Legislation and Abolition:

British Abolition (1807): The end of the transatlantic slave trade
Emancipation Proclamation (1863): U.S. abolition

VI. Aftermath of Slavery

Reconstruction Era:
Attempts at Racial Equality: Freedmen's Bureau, Civil Rights Acts
 Jim Crow Laws: Segregation and systemic discrimination

Legacy and Impact:

Economic Disparities: Persistent inequalities
Cultural and Social Impact: African diaspora and identity

VII. Contemporary Issues

Modern Slavery:
Human Trafficking: Global and domestic
Efforts to Combat: Legislation, awareness, and international cooperation

Reparations and Acknowledgment:

Debates on Reparations: Addressing historical injustices
Education and Reconciliation: Acknowledging and learning from the past

Homework:

Read Chapter 7: "Legacy of Slavery and Contemporary Challenges" for the next
class.

Note: Slavery is a complex and deeply rooted historical phenomenon with profound
consequences that continue to shape societies and conversations about justice and
equality.