Introduction
Slavery existed in many cultures, and it can be defined as the process of applying property laws to individuals and thereby subjecting them to harsh conditions during employment. Class-based labor can be defined as the division of labor according to a class where the working class is subjected to low pay, require less physical labor or limited skill. People from the lower and middle classes are the ones most subjected by the harsh labor conditions that are set. Race-based slavery can be defined as the practice of subjecting people to work very hard with meager payments based on race. Race-based slavery mainly involves the discrimination of a certain race; the minority races in an area (Gold 1715). In America, there has been the existence of race-based slavery for a very long time where the whites owned Black slaves, and they could sell them or force them to work in their properties as if they were their property. One of the ways how race slavery emerged was as a result of the transformation of class-based labor.
How Class-Based Labor Turned to Race-Based Slavery
In colonial times, most of the many Africans and poor Whites came from the English working class, which was one of the lowest classes during those times. Both the white and black men and women worked side-by-side and were treated equally by the employers. They were all treated as indentured servants. Mostly the people who were mainly enslaved were non-Christians, and a slave could become free once he or she converted to Christianity (Delle 45). Therefore in class-based labor, the main distinction between the slaves and their masters was mainly due to religion since even the masters did not regard themselves as white, but as Christians and the slaves were Englishmen who had not converted to Christianity. The laborers were then regarded as servants and not slaves, and they were allowed to own land and guns for some of them. Therefore class-based labor was mainly based on religion since the servants were given their freedom after converting to Christianity. They were also not subjected to very harsh conditions as compared to race-based slavery.
Once the indentured slaves were freed, they became a threat to other landowners, and therefore restrictions had to be put in place to minimize the threat. The servants leaving their workplaces left empty slots that had to be replaced, which were costly. The servants, especially those who could be identified by skin color, could not move on, especially because of the restrictions. It was for this reason that race-based slavery became attractive to the landowners in North America since the African Americans became dependent on the employment from the whites, and therefore they were vulnerable to exploitation (Taylor 339). It was then that some of the states in North America made slavery legal ad stated that all the children born in slavery were to also become slaves, which was applied to the minority races, mainly African Americans. That way, class-based labor transformed into race-based slavery.
Development of Race-Based Slavery in the 1600s
England was very eager to again colonial base in the early 17th century, especially on the foothold of North America. Their first settlement was founded in the year 1607 and was based in Jamestown in Virginia (Shi, and Tindall 35). At first, the English settlers had a good relationship with the native “Indians," but as time by, conflicts arose, and the interaction between the two turned into hostile. The need for development in the area created a great need for labor, and for the process to be profitable cheap labor had to be sourced with the only source of cheap labor is from the minority races. Some of the activities that required labor included the processes of clearing forests, developing the seafaring industry, and labor required to tend to the plantations. The importation of African American slaves in 1619 fostered the development of racial based slavery since it created a market for slaves.
At first, they were treated as servants who would be freed once they fulfilled their obligations to the owners (Baron 334). However, as the years went by and the need for cheap labor became crucial in the development of the country, a new system of race-based slavery emerged. Most African Americans became slaves for life and were subjected to harsh conditions in the plantations. The transatlantic slave, therefore, was the main reason for the development of the slave industry in the 16th century. Slaves and other valuable items were imported from American colonies, which fulfilled the country's social and economic needs.
Conclusion
Class-based labor was mainly based on religion, where people who were not Christians were forced to work for the Christians regardless of their skin color. They were provided with good working conditions since they were given their land after they were freed, and if one converted to Christianity, one would cease to be a slave. Race-based slavery entailed the enslavement of people based on skin color, whereby African America was mainly affected. Class-based labor led to race slavery after the need for cheap labor was created, and due to the restrictions put in place, the African Americans had to work as slaves. Race-based slavery started in the 1600s, mainly because of the development of the transatlantic slaves, whereby slaves were imported from African countries, which led to the development of the slave market.
