What did slaves do in the 1700s?

What did slaves do in the 1700s?

In the 17th and 18th centuries, enslaved Africans worked mainly on the tobacco, rice and indigo plantations of the southern coast, from the Chesapeake Bay colonies of Maryland and Virginia south to Georgia.

What did slaves do in the Virginia Colony?

In colonial times, people from the west coast of Africa were captured and shipped to Virginia and other colonies to work as slaves. In Virginia, these Africans lived and worked on plantations or small farms where tobacco was the cash crop. Enslaved for life, they could be bought or sold as property.

How did slavery change over time in Virginia?

During their first year in Virginia, new slaves went through “seasoning” which meant letting their bodies get used to the new climate and the many new diseases found in Virginia. Many enslaved people died within the first year. Not all black Virginians were enslaved.

When was slavery made legal in Virginia?

The abolition of slavery in Virginia occurred by 1865, with the end of the American Civil War (1861–1865) and the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

When did slavery start in the world?

In perusing the FreeTheSlaves website, the first fact that emerges is it was nearly 9,000 years ago that slavery first appeared, in Mesopotamia (6800 B.C.). Enemies captured in war were commonly kept by the conquering country as slaves.

Did West Virginia allow slavery?

President Lincoln issued a proclamation that West Virginia had met all requirements and would become a state on June 20, 1863. In anticipation of the passage of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution the Wheeling legislature passed a bill ending slavery in West Virginia on February 3, 1865.

Which state had the most slaves in 1740?

New York had the greatest number, with just over 20,000. New Jersey had close to 12,000 slaves.