Slavery: A Building Block in the Foundation of Americas History Essay

Slavery was present preceding the European discovery of the Americas. It was limited to the conquered people of the indigenous nations and it was not widespread. This situation changed with the arrival of Europeans, as they possessed modern weapons with which they were able to overtake the most formidable segments of native tribes. Sickness introduced to the indigenous tribes by the Europeans reduced the enslaved population to the point that new workers were needed. A slave trade was brought into existence by this need. Slaves were still gathered from indigenous tribes, but they were supplemented with African slaves brought by ship. These events helped to forge the Americas into the prosperous cultures they eventually became. Slavery influenced culture during the revolutionary period with the beginnings of racism, this culture change initiated lawmaking concerning race, which started with the first emancipation around 1780. How these two topics were molded until the 1850's, and have remained present in the modern era of our lives will be proven in the following essay. The word racism is a term used to describe the believed differences between people of different colors, because of traits, morals, or intellectual prowess. These perceived differences cause a racist person to treat a person of color in ways that would be unaccepted by most people in their own race. [1] This practice, racism, was initiated in the 17th century to promote or justify the use of slaves in what was to become the United States. Racism is justified by many means including the bible, science, and hypothetical theories. A widespread religious following in the Americas became the basis for acceptance of racism using the bible for justification. It ran into... ...hudacoff, Fredrik Logevall, Beth Bailey, and Debra Michals. A People & A Nation: A history of The United States and A More Perfect Union. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2010. [3]. Goldenberg, Amy Production Editor. RACE Are We So Different?. Arlington, VA: American Anthropological Association , 2010. http://www.understandingrace.org/history/gov/expan_slavery.html. (accessed March 20, 2012). [4]. Valbrun, Marjorie. "Rewriting the Script Won’t Change the Facts in the Trayvon Martin Case." Slate.com. April 2, 2012. Accessed April 12, 2012. http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/04/02/trayvon_martin_zimmerman_s_black_friend_and_hispanic_defenses_won_t_work_.html. [5]. Olafson, Steve. "Tulsa Shootings Evoke City's past Racial Violence." Reuters News Service. Accessed April 10, 2012. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/11/us-usa-crime-tulsa-idUSBRE83A02J20120411.