Rights+and+Freedom+4

=Part 4: Rights and Freedom=

African American Slavery
In 1619, not long after the first settlement, the need for labor was strengthened by the importation of African captives to the colonies. Until about 1660, the Africans were allowed to own land and even purchase their freedom. Their slavery was almost exactly like indentured servants, who would usually be freed of their commitments after serving for so many years. However, as the century went on, the slaves slowly started to get more and more mistreated. It eventually got to the point where they were treated just like animals. Near the dawn of the new century, the majority of the Africans were slaves for life.

Between 10 and 16 million Africans were forcibly transported across the Atlantic between 1500 and 1900. The death rate was very high on this voyage. At least 10-15% of the Africans died during the "Middle Passage." This number grew to 25% from the 17th century to the 18th century. The Middle Passage usually took more than seven weeks at a time. Men and woman were separated, men usually placed toward the bow and women toward the stern. They were usually only fed once or twice a day and brought on deck for limited times.

In the beginning of the 18th century, black slaves could be found in every New World area colonized by Europeans. In 1690, one out of every nine families in Boston owned a slave.

The slaves were treated horribly. They were forced to work basically all hours of the day, rarely having a break if they were lucky. They usually worked in dangerous mines or cotton plantations along with many other difficult and dangerous tasks. If they did not do their job to their owner or boss's expectations or they refused to do the job, they were punished severely. Whenever a slave disobeyed his or her owner, it would result in death most of the time. The owner would not only kill them, but they would kill them publicly and in a way so horrible that all the slaves would know never to disobey their owner.

Native American Rights
There were a great many Indian tribes in the Americas, and each understood itself to be a nation, with a different language and culture than all others. "Indian" is nothing more than a vague catch-all name (first used by Columbus, who mistakenly thought he had landed in India). Native Americans had their own names, their nations, and each name usually translated as, simply, "The People." However, although Indian cultures were quite varied, most shared a similar understanding of the meaning and the stewardship of land

While settlers did bring many new things to America (such as horses and improved farming equipment), they also eventually began taking away the lands of the Native Americans and resulted in the initial infringement upon Native American rights. This caused for strained relations and many battles between the settlers and the Native American tribes. As more and more settlers arrived in America, the Native Americans tribes were pushed further and further West, with little regard for their Native American rights.

As the Confederacy fought smaller tribes for control of western Virginia, European colonists set their own designs on the Ohio Valley. In 1607, English colonists landed at Jamestown, Virginia. Based on various explorations, the British and French laid claim to the territory comprising present-day West Virginia and Native Americans were forced west. Many of the tribes were destroyed by constant warfare and catastrophic diseases. At the same time, trade with the Europeans proved a strong attraction, enabling the Indians to acquire valuable new products, such as guns, steel hatchets, cloth, and kettles. The fur trade in particular made many tribes powerful and more aggressive. The Indian nations successfully played one European power against another. For instance, the British formed an alliance with the Iroquois Confederacy to cut the French out of the lucrative fur trade. However, the Six Nations also negotiated treaties and traded with the French.


 * Common People's Experiences

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