Breakout Session 3: Coping with Labor

Scarcity in the New World

From Servitude to Slavery and “Free” Labor

Jenny WahlCarleton College Economics

Department

2

Some Numbers• Free migrants (~1600-1775)

– About ½ million total emigrated to British American colonies– Of those, more than 350,000 via indenture

• Slaves (~1500-1900) – About 12 million left Africa, about 10 million arrived in

Americas– By 1808 (end of trans-Atlantic trade to US), only 6% of

African slaves landing in New World had come to North America

• Population as of 1790– 2.8 million free whites– 58,000 free non-whites– 682,000 slaves

3

Percent Non-White by Original Colony, 1750,

1790, 1810, 1860

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Connecticut

Massachusetts

New

Ham

pshire

Rhode Island

Delaw

are

Maryland

New

Jersey

New

York

Pennsylvania

Georgia

North C

arolina

South C

arolina

Virginia

1750

1790

1810

1860

4

Net Slave Imports, VA and MD,

1698-1774

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

1698-1703 1704-1718 1719-1730 1731-1745 1746-1760 1761-1774

time period

net i

mpo

rts

of s

lave

s

Virginia

Maryland

5

Indentured Servants Slaves (South) and

Servants (North)

• Demography of blacks in North America• Benefits of native-born slaves• Improved wages in England• Cheaper Atlantic passage• Demography of whites in North America• Regional diversity – plantation crops in

South, manufactories in North

6

Jefferson’s Runaway Slave (1769)

7

Indigo Exports (SC and GA), 1755-1772

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

17

55

17

56

17

57

17

58

17

59

17

60

17

61

17

62

17

63

17

64

17

65

17

66

17

67

17

68

17

69

17

70

17

71

17

72

00

0s

of

lbs

8

Rice Exports (SC and GA), 1698-1774

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

1698

1702

1707

1711

1716

1720

1724

1728

1732

1736

1740

1744

1748

1752

1756

1760

1764

1768

1772

000s

of

lbs

9

Tobacco Imports into England, 1697-1775

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

1697

1700

1704

1708

1712

1716

1720

1724

1728

1732

1736

1740

1744

1748

1752

1756

1760

1764

1768

1772

000s

of l

bs

10

Distribution of Wealth by Region, 1774

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

Land Slaves/servants Livestock Personal

New England

Middle Colonies

South

11

Northern Colonial Slavery

Significant dates VT PA MA NH CT RI NY NJ

European settlement 1666 1638

1620 1623

1633

1636

1624

1620

First record of slavery

c.1760? 1639

1629? 1645

1639

1652

1626

1627

Official end of slavery 1777 1780

1783 1783

1784

1784

1799

1804

Actual end of slavery 1777

c.1845

1783

c.1845?

1848

1842

1827

1865

12

Percent of Free Non-Whites by Original Colony, 1790,

1810, 1860

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Connecticut

Massachusetts

New

Ham

pshire

Rhode Island

Delaw

are

Maryland

New

Jersey

New

York

Pennsylvania

Georgia

North C

arolina

South C

arolina

Virginia

1790

1810

1860

13

Pennsylvania Slave Advertisement

14