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jpeter

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---CivilWarTalk---

Native American slavery in North America was extensive over much of the eastern seaboard between 1630-1715. Amerindian slavery differed from the African trans-Atlantic slave trade in that much of the Indian slave trade was a by-product of French, English, and Spanish conflicts for New World territory, especially around the Gulf Coast.

The Native American slave trade was not fully aimed at racial subjugation in those early years, nor was it strictly designed to solve local labor shortages (although that was part of it). Amerindians - men, women, and children - were generally captured as political and military enemies and sold for profit to the sugar cane plantation system in the West Indies. Much less commonly, Amerindian slaves might be kept as domestic servants around Charleston or other townships. They were only very rarely kept as local field hands since they frequently ran off. Unlike African slaves, Amerinidan male slaves were frequently referred to as "difficult." It was considered a smarter course of action to send them far away from their home territory where they might be more easily broken. Still, Indian enslavement gained the English needed capital and, more importantly, aided in the removal of specific Indian tribes believed to be enemies of the English.

As a rule, most Indians were captured by other Indians in small bands, sent to the English for payment, and then relocated elsewhere to perform some sort of involuntary servitude. Between 1670 to 1715 there were between 24,000 and 51,000 Native Americans enslaved within the southern colonies and territories. Only after local Indian wars began to heat up in the early 18th century did the the slave trade officially cool off. After 1715, the African slave trade grew 10-fold to meet the demands of the plantation slave economy which helped eliminate demands for Native Americans.

Source: "The Indian Slave Trade", Allan Gallay, 2003

In a peculiar religious context, American Indians were seen as "unspoiled" and the American continent Eden-like. Because of this, Amerindians were considered more worthy of conversion and European royalty were uneasy about their enslavement. There were certain edicts from Protestant and Catholic countries not to enslave the natives - but these were frequently disregarded.
 
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