September 2013 – Page 7 – U.S. to 1877

September 10, 2013

Blog Post #3- Chapter 4 in Inhuman Bondage

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In chapter 4 of Inhuman Bondage author David Davis explains how the African slave trade became prevalent and the tremendous affect it had on the European nations involved and in the development of the “new world”. In the chapter he focuses heavily on the motives behind these countries in becoming part of the slave trade and how these nations justified enslaving others, black Africans specifically. He suggests that while selfish motives drove the slave trade, there were also legitimate reasons as to why this atrocity became so popular in the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th centuries- “I do not mean to minimize the importance of greed, economic self interest, and an increasing desire for greater productivity and profit. All of which lay at the heart of early modern and modern slavery. But these economic desires were also fused with issues of identity, ideology, and power.” (Davis, 78). He makes the argument that while selfishness was part of the reason various European countries began using Africans as slaves, they were also driven by a need to compete and make their colonies in the Americas as successful as possible. What stuck out to me the most in reading this chapter was the multitude of ways in which Europeans went about justifying these actions.

David argues that a revival in classical learning drove a wave of support for slavery. Except that people in modern Europe were against enslaving other white Europeans; even those who were at the bottom of the social ladder. Africans however, we’re different. Being from outside Europe, they were different enough in the eyes of Europeans to justify their enslavement. For beginners, their different skin color somehow made them inferior. At the time, Europeans held severely negative connotations of the color black, often associating it with demons, devils and torturers (Davis, 79). Africans also practiced different religions from that of mostly Christian Europe. This only further widened the divide between Africans and Europeans, making them seem more different. It’s arguable that in the eyes of the Europeans this made slavery even more justifiable. I think the Europeans felt so disconnected and separate from the Africans, partly because of the difference in culture and religion that in their minds, enslaving Africans was much more acceptable than enslaving others who were more closely tied to them when it came to the intricacies of society.

One final thing that stood out to me, was how even hundreds of years later, scholars still are far apart in the debate regarding what role the Africans played in allowing the slave trade to escalate to the levels it did. On page 91, Davis gives a quote from a 16^th century Kongonian King. In the quote, King Alfonzo claims that “merchants are taking every day our natives….” and that “…our country is being completely depopulated”. Davis goes on to explain however, that different scholars have varying interpretations of what Alfonzo’s words mean. Before reading, I truly had no idea that the Africans participated in the slave trade at all. I was under the assumption that Europeans simply captured African men and woman against their will and lugged them onto boats. It was interesting to learn that not only did they play a role, but also that scholars still have not reached a consensus on how big that role was.

September 10, 2013

Blog 1 – Lesson 4

In high school, when discussing the use of slavery through different historical eras, it is always described in negative (and often revisionist) terms that ignore the importance of slavery in maintaining the civilization’s regime. David Davis’ Inhuman Bondage ignores this narrative in favour of a more realistic approach that acknowledges the importance of slavery in the development of the New World. In Chapter 4, Davis describes the use of plantation slavery as “highly productive,” and describes it as the logical successor to the “efficiency, organization, and global interconnectedness of industrial capitalism.” Unlike historians I have been previously exposed to who only address slavery in comparison to the lack-their-of in modern society, Davis uses statistics to support his argument that slavery was essential to the rise of the New World.

As Caitlin identified, Davis’ stress of how the European colonizers viewed Africans as black slaves and themselves as white slave-owners is an important aspect of the master-servant relationship that kept the slave-trade active. These racial tensions and the fact that white Europeans automatically assumed themselves to be intellectually and culturally superior amazed me. I had read about the white European’s inflated view of themselves, especially in comparison to black Africans, but was unaware of the degree to which this existed. What struck out to me most about this issue was the fact that the Europeans were unable to differentiate between different African tribes, seeing them all universally as “black” (described as a complete lack of “pan-African consciousness”).

One interesting section of Chapter 5 was when Davis described in great length the process that went into the harvesting, manufacturing and distribution of the sugar trade. Minute details referring to the “drying of the “heads”” and “crushing of the easily perishable crops” gave me a more complete look into the final product and the labour that was required to achieve this final product (which Davis described as a far more challenging process than the Virginian tobacco farmers).

I was, however, unclear as to why (outside of geographical reasons) that the Portuguese essentially held a monopoly over the Spanish in regards to the sugarcane industry. Davis attempted to explain this, but I was still not certain as to why this was the case by the end of the readings. From previous chapters (especially in regards to other nations’ desires to emulate the Spanish accumulation of precious metals), it seemed as though colonial empires were learning from one another as to how to best sustain their territory. Since the sugarcane industry appeared to be highly lucrative, I thought it would make sense for other nations to attempt the trade.

September 9, 2013

Week Three Reading

One of the points I found most interesting in this week’s reading came in the first few pages of the chapter. David Brion Davis discusses, for a few lines, the term “black” itself. He cuts the moral complexity of European colonization and African slavery down to a single word. While this is certainly not all encompassing, a closer look at the racial label is representative of larger issues and discussions of the topic. Davis brings up “depictions of black demons, devils, and torturers” that were common in Europe when the term was introduced. Thus, through the labeling of the victims of their racial subjugation as black, Europeans were “creating a perception of the ultimate Outsiders.” Modern conversations about race still discuss the use of “black” as a racial identification. While some argue for the use of the term African American as more politically correct alternative, others feel that this separates black Americans from their national identity by also linking them to Africa. Regardless, this still leaves a gap in labeling people of non-African origin and non-Americans. This is also relevant to our discussion in class of the labeling of Native Americans as Indians or American Indians. The fundamental issue in these labels, both black and Native American, is that white Europeans imposed them upon a group of people in order to differentiate them from themselves, the white elite. Although Davis only touches on this issue briefly, it is a fascinating one that is as relevant today as it was in Medieval Europe.

In addition, Davis’ discussion of the changes that European workers underwent as a result of the Atlantic slave trade reminded me of Sylvia’s post from last week. She talked about history as multiple story lines, not simply as one person or group’s experience. The fact that European workers changed their wage expectations and workplace standards because they desired New World products made available by the slave trade is a unique perspective on the issue. Slavery did not only affect the Africans kidnapped from their homes and the white masters in the Americas. It also changed the way people lived in Europe.

September 9, 2013

Week 3 Chapter 4 and 5

This being the first non-American Colonies reading assigned, I found the change in perspective extremely refreshing. The author brought the issue of slavery in the American colonies to a much more grandiose scale, comparing it with instances of human domination which occurred in Europe’s past and describing how these instances created the social climate which allowed for the mass trafficking of African Slaves. One unique argument made by Davis in chapter 4 was that if it could have ever become culturally Legitimate, Europeans colonizers would have enslaved the vagabonds and criminals within Europe and avoided the expense of Trafficking from Africa all together.

Although I’m sure that all of us have have heard a description of the conditions which slaves were shipped to America in, the one put forth in Inhuman Bondage resonated with me and projected a lasting image by prefacing the few details put forth with a sentence stating that no human words can describe the horror of the transport vessels, and that only the Holocaust and Roman Slavery were even on par.

Davis also does an excellent job of outlining the details of the trade, such as the route which slaves were taken and their various stops which connect to create an extremely complex mass transit system developed by the Europeans, especially in the New World, where control was constantly being lost and gained. The nature of these two chapters show a complexity and denseness which is not found in American Colonies, but does an effective job of describing a horrific system which played an incredibly significant role in the development of the colonies.

Davis also makes MUCH more effective use of maps.

September 6, 2013

Chapters 3 and 5

In Chapters 3 and 5 of American Colonies, Taylor focuses specifically on two different European powers that colonized America: the Spanish and the French. These two countries dealt with the colonies in radically different ways due to several factors such as, their purpose in the “New World,” their military capabilities, and the influence of the overseas government. In many ways, these three factors are linked to each other. For example, Spain’s purpose was to discover gold and become wealthy, in addition to ‘saving’ the native’s souls by conversion. In order to accomplish this goal, the Spanish were able to conquer by force because of their wealth and military prowess. However, the militaristic campaign spread quickly as the greed of the conquistadors increased, and individual conquistadors and encomiendas began to gain power. As a result, the Spanish monarchy worried that these individuals would become too independent and powerful. To check the growth of sovereignty overseas, the government imposed exceedingly strict regulations on the colonial government.

On the other hand, the French colonies enjoyed more freedom from their European government. This luxury was possibly a result of the intent of their colonization. The French were less focused on establishing a permanent settlement and a new colonial hierarchy than simply trading with the Indians to make money from furs. Additionally, the French government was less wealthy and powerful than the Spanish, and it would have been more difficult for them to wage such an expensive overseas war, not to mention detrimental to making trade allies for fur.

While I agree with “maspeed’s” statement that Taylor’s focus on different countries shows their differences in dealing with the natives and the land, but it also led me to consider that it also indicates a single perspective. By categorizing the history with regard to specific countries, the text leans toward the European history viewpoint. However, Taylor does acknowledge that the Indians did not always differentiate between European nationalities as we do today.

September 4, 2013

Some additional thoughts on trade, race and terminology.

Wells helpfully pointed the class to this article from NPR’s Codeswitch Blog, which tackles the history of the phrase “Indian Giver.” While Wells rightfully brought this up in terms of the ways in which terminology can be (knowingly or unknowingly) insulting, I’d also encourage all of you to think about it in terms of the trade practices we spoke about on Tuesday. In the context of cementing relationships through trade, civility and exchange, the expectation that gifts be reciprocated begins to look less like rudeness, and more like a part of commercial negotiations.

For more on mutual misunderstandings in French-Indian trade, see Nancy Shoemaker’s article “Body Language: The Body as a Source of Sameness and Difference in Eighteenth-Century American Indian Diplomacy East of the Mississippi.” in Janet Moore Lindman and Michele Lise Tarter’s edited volume A Centre of Wonders: The Body in Early America.

September 4, 2013

American Colonies 3 & 5

In the given reading, Taylor has, again, helped to reshape my understanding of early colonization in the New World. In particular, I was shocked at how bluntly Taylor tried to describe Spanish interactions with native peoples. The way by which the Spanish were so brutal (albeit successful) was made even more apparent by Taylor’s descriptions of the civilizations that they conquered. For instance, after describing the magnificence of the Aztecs and the city Tenochtitlán, Taylor bluntly states, “after four months of fighting, the Spanish and their native allies reduced the city to a bloody rubble” (Taylor 53). In a sense, this is another instance of Taylor’s tongue-in-cheek attitude when writing about colonization. His bluntness may appear ridiculous to some, but it allows for the reader to from their own opinions on morality and justification, although Taylor may subtly advocate his own opinion from time to time.

Upon reading chapter 5, I gained a better understanding of different practices of colonization between European countries. In particular, this made me more conscious of the fabled “Black Legend,” which served to condemn the brutish way that the Spanish treated the natives. However, in response to several classmates, I felt that it was important to remember that the “Black Legend,” as perpetrated by the English, did not solely condemn Spain. Rather, it was also an attempt to whitewash their own practices towards natives. As such, almost all European countries treated natives poorly – save for perhaps the French, but only out of necessity. However, the “Black Legend” only pushed guilt onto others.

All in all, I enjoyed this section of American Colonies and am now more interested in learning about English acquisition in the New World, having already thoroughly examined the French and Spanish.

September 4, 2013

Week Two Response

Taylor organizes his discussion of the colonization of the New World by European country. He deals with the Spanish, the French, and the Dutch as separate entities, combining his discussion of them only when the Europeans interact in the course of their colonizing. This certainly makes his text easy to read and understand, and is even what one might expect from a textbook entitled American Colonies. This fulfillment of expectation, however, is the cause of my disappointment. Until this point Taylor has defied cultural stereotypes of American history by turning the tables and approaching the issue of colonization from a Native American standpoint. I am sure that American Indians were aware of political differences among Europeans but to a certain extent, it seems to me, that to the American Indians, one white European invading their land was not too different from the next.

Taylor returned to a more traditional approach to history in these chapters instead of continuing his trend of discussing events from the unsuccessful side. He certainly has good motives for sacrificing some of his political correctness and moral high ground. He gains clarity and straightforward organization, which he may have lost in a discussion that simply lumped all colonizers together and examined them from a Native American standpoint.

This change in technique, however, does not cause Taylor to completely abandon his interest in revealing the strength and power of Native Americans. As Jennifer points out in her post, Taylor asserts several times that in modern-day Canada the American Indians seemed to run the show. They negotiated prices and took advantage of French traders instead of the other way around. Thus, Taylor has not left his sense of responsibility for telling an unconventional story completely behind. He simply seems to have wavered slightly more towards the commonplace approach to history.

September 4, 2013

History trumps childhood- Chapters 3 & 5

Alas, yet another childhood story is ruined by the fierce truth of history. First, I found out the Pocahontas movie is not historically accurate. Then, it was unveiled that Columbus treated the natives with harsh brutality. Now, my world centered on the English being the main explorers to the “New World” is historically skewed. Taylor, altering my preconceptions on colonization, offers up a history, thus far, that centers on many other cultures.

Chapter three targets the Spanish explorers and their fierce conquest in the “Americas.” Taylor takes a relatively harsh approach in presenting the Spanish. The Spanish were vicious in their takeover of their so-called new land. Cortés and his army demonstrate the Spanish desire for conquest by taking over Tenochtitlán. What was once a booming metropolis of native wealth and civilization was “reduced… to a bloody rubble” (53). To make matters worse, the area they took over was littered with gold and silver. Yet, the new gold over powered the Spanish economy causing a rough period of inflation for those at the bottom of the economic pyramid. For me, the Spanish represent the normal colonist that came over seas and soon showed dominance over the native peoples in an attempt to become rich.

However, chapter five showed a different relationship between the native peoples and the European explorers. The French explorers to the north had a contrasting association with the natives than that of the Spanish. The French were in North America to acquire furs and dominate the fur market. The native peoples knew the French were so far inland for the furs and soon took advantage of this fact. The native peoples were bringing in such large quantities of fur that the French were in an interesting position socially and economically. If they attacked the natives, they could take them over and the area. However, that would remove their supplier of fur, so they were trapped in a period of peace. Normally peace would be the ideal, but in a culture where the native peoples were originally though of as beasts, the French were not ecstatic to be equals. Taylor does give the French a certain amount of praise for being so peaceful, and they were nicer than the Spanish. Yet, they still had their fighting and were only peaceful for economic reasons.

The Europeans saw themselves as greater beings than the native peoples. With superior technology, I could see how the Europeans thought of themselves as higher powers. So since the Europeans “discovered” the “New World,” colonization history has been presented in that light. Taylor, however, is fighting the norm by presenting his thoughts differently. I admire his prowess for attempting to change a more than five hundred-year-old practice.

September 4, 2013

American Colonies, Chapters 3 & 5

Throughout Chapter 3, Taylor highlights the increasingly powerful, as well as brutal Spanish presence in the New World. We see that Spain’s expansion through the Americas was largely due to an intense demand in slave labor. I was definitely taken aback by how ruthless the Spaniards acted towards the natives they had conquered. I found the requerimiento to be completely ridiculous, as if reading a decree that justifies death and punishment to Native Americans in an alien language makes any sense at all. I do believe Spain lives up to its reputation as the “Black Legend,” because the way in which it claimed New World territory was just crueler than that of other European powers at the time. As @JANEWTON explained in his post, the English were not angels either, but at least they drew a line as to how the Indians should be dealt with.
Taylor really puts into perspective the sheer size and complexity that some societies had already achieved in the New World, especially with the Aztecs and their kingdom of Tenochtitlan. “The population of about 200,000 dwarfed the largest city in Spain, Seville, which had only 70,000 inhabitants” (Taylor, p.53). Through the eyes of some Spaniards in Central America, they did not show contempt, but instead marveled at the complexity and magnificence of these native civilizations. Both Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and soldier Bernal Diaz del Castillo appeared genuinely in awe when introduced to the kingdom of Tenochtitlan. Unfortunately, it was clear that greed, rather than admiration, had won the conquistadors over, as they plundered and burned the beautiful city down to the ground.
I found a major theme in chapters 3 and 5 to be the continuous growth and decay of powerful nations. Throughout the 1500s, Spain had created the largest empire of its time, conquering vast territories throughout the Americas and Caribbean. Yet, the immense amount of gold and silver Spain had garnered from its lands in the New World were the very things that led to their downfall. “The infusion expanded the money supply faster than the growth of goods and services, contributing to a dramatic inflation of prices that spilled over into the rest of Europe” (Taylor, p. 63). By uniting together, the Five Nations Iroquois became the most formidable Native American nation at the time. However, their constant feuds with rival native peoples, coupled with disease from Europeans, led to a dramatic decrease in their populations. To cope with this decrease, the Five Nations needed more captives than ever before to repopulate, which only led to more wars and bloodshed. “The internal violence threatened to destroy the Five Nations” (Taylor, p. 103).