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The african slavery and the fight to win independence

Part of what makes America a great nation is revealed in how we gained our independence from Great Britain and our subsequent decision as a nation to abolish slavery. Yet, upon closer inspection of the rationale behind the American Revolution, as well as the incidents leading to it, it may not be right to call the actions of our forefathers justified. It is good that we Americans now possess freedom and we have shared it with our African American brothers. But we should realize that one of the greatest attributes of greatness is humility and owning fault in the mistakes that we may have had committed.
Keywords: Slavery, the American revolution
Precursors to the American Revolution:
The African Slavery and the Fight to Win Independence
Question 1
Arguably, the most divisive political issue in American history has been slavery; understanding its evolution over time is key in helping to explain a significant portion of our nation’s past. Trace the path of slavery from its origins in the early European colonization of North and South America to the time of the Constitutional Convention. How did the practice of African slavery begin? How and why did it expand in the 13 English colonies of North America? Finally, how was the issue of slavery impacted by the American Revolution?
Slavery in Africa has existed even before the Arabian and the Atlantic slave trade. Owning of slaves is part of their culture and it was boosted by the Roman siege and influenced by Islam and other introduced as well as native religions (Lovejoy, 2012). But the start of African slavery in the American colonies is pegged at 1619 when the 1st African slaves docked in Virginia (Berlin, 2003). From Virginia, the practice of slavery spread to all 13English Colonies in North America. The slaves were used as laborers in cotton, sugar, and other plantations, household help, as well as skilled workers in the craft of carpentry, and welding among others. It was also a status symbol promoted by the government so as to quell the disparity of rich, land-owning Whites against the poor, land-less Whites. This move strengthened the foundation for racial slavery and racism (Wood, 2005). The American Revolution started the transformation in the attitudes of the colonial Whites towards slavery that will eventually lead in the abolition of slavery on January 01, 1863, with President Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation. The newly freed “ Americans” set freedom as one of it’s country’s undeniable virtues and with that, slavery must be put to an end. The presidential proclamation against slavery became the key to abolishing African slavery yet a considerable amount of time still passed between the enactment of the proclamation and the time when America was 100% slavery-free because not all 13 states adopted the no-slaves policy right away (Berlin, 2005).

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