Old Pueblo Academy

The Origin Of Racial Slavery In America

Origins of Racial Slavery, where would one start on this subject? Slavery had been a long practiced art in the Americas well before the Europeans. And with three racial groups of American Indians, one could easily say it started there. But that would mean it transferred from one to another, and with the exception of the English to the Americans, there is no evidence that happened.

American Indians after a war, would take captives as slaves, from both related tribes, and unrelated tribes. One way we know this, is from mythologies and language. For example the Klamath word for slave is, “luktha” which means to carry a load. And in many American Indian mythologies, where the use of slaves are mentioned.

When Spain started their colonization of the Americas, it was a very hellish transition. Native Americans were rounded up to be converted into Christians. This was done using soldiers to hers the people into the missions. Where they would be forced into labor and conversion. Any resistance would be punished severely. Which the Friars of the time had no issues against. It was the practice that helped Spain conquer from South America to North America.

When the Spanish Missionaries came to California, their view was so different from the Native Americans, that is was the opposite. The Indians looked at the economy of living with nature, and in harmony. While the Missionaries looked at it as there for their desires, for God and King. That included the Indians as just part of the landscape, and not as a people. In such as the Missionaries, and those with them, could use the Native Americans as they wished without error.

In 1619 the first load of African Slaves landed at an English Settlement Jamestown. They had been transported by a Dutch Man-o-War. The twenty Negro Slaves would be the first of millions to be unloaded in the Americas. But they would not be the only Slaves unloaded, as Poor farms which were nothing more than Slavery plantations would also spring up by the English, they would not even be the only non-White Slaves either. The English used both African and American Indian Slaves.

Racial slavery is as much a part of the American history as is the colonization from all of American history. Every people that has come to this Country, has used Slavery in one fashion or another.

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