Affiliated Institution:
Ethnic Studies
Ethnic Studies was created so that people of colour this include African-Americans, Asian-Americans and Latino-Americans, could share their history, and achievements in their own way. In this paper I will discuss the origin of slavery and its abolition in America.
Most African-Americans are descendants of slaves that were captured mostly in West Africa and sold to Americans who owned cotton and sugar cane plantations. The Europeans did not introduce slavery in Africa, it was in existence for thousands of years they just exploited it. The captured slaves were completely cut off from family, friends and the life they knew; they had no choice but to adjust to the new world.
So how did slavery come to an end? For starters they formed black communities. Slaves were not allowed to attend any social places with the whites for example schools, churches or any business enterprises. They started their own churches where they met with no interferences from their masters. The whites had little interest in what the slaves did as long as their work was good; this gave rise to rebellions that saw the beginning of the end of slavery.
The revolution of the 1750s gave people especially the slave owners a feeling that slavery is an evil thing; this feeling was further spread by Christianity. All people are born free, thus they should live, and work and die as free people. (Stowe, 1852). Some states started abolishing slavery; Pennsylvania for example passed a law in 1780 that stated that all slaves should be set free after six months. Also the importation of more slaves was banned.
After the abolition of slavery some of the blacks decided to go back to Africa and were assisted by Christian Missionaries. Those that were left behind gave rise to the African-American Community that has contributed a lot to what America is today
References:
Stowe, H. (1852). Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Published by; John P. Jewett
