In 1787, a group of prominent Americans formulated the Declaration of Independence, which called for the right of revolution. They argued that since King George II issued laws that violated their rights as citizens, he had the right to be overthrown and replaced with a government that upheld those rights.
The colonists saw this same principle apply to laws made by the British government. For example, after Britain abolished slavery in 1834, new legislation required all British colonies to permanently retain slavery. The American colonists viewed this as an infringement on their rights and wanted it gone.
Needed land for expansion
The Declaration of Independence and Constitution established the United States as a nation with sovereign rights. However, during this period, many colonists viewed themselves as the original owners of land and called it their “backyard.”
This was a time when many Americans were beginning to think about how much land they had, and how much they owed for it. Many people saw the colonies as little pieces of land that were attached to their personal backyards.
This was a time when large corporations weren’t common, but individuals who wanted land for personal purposes formed groups to get approval from government to purchase land. These groups included wealthy people who wanted to encourage others to migrate to their area in order to access valuable property.
The French and Indian War had just ended, and Americans were looking for new places to expand. This allowed for the colonization of former slaves in North Carolina and Virginia.
Needed natural resources
The colonizers understood that former slaves had lots of valuable natural resources, like gold, silver, and oil. This was important, because if former slaves had money while they were slaves, they could purchase goods and services from the colonizers in return.
By taking away their freedom and using these resources, the colonizers forced former slaves to work for nothing as a condition of being accepted into society. This discrimination lasted for many years after the colonists left.
Walsh suggests that this lasted so long because former slaves were too proud to accept help from others.
Slavery was an outdated institution
Slavery was an outdated institution during the early stages of America. The colonists saw it as a relic of an institution that didn’t serve the needs of society as a whole, and they replaced it with free labor.
This was a key feature of American freedom. The colonists believed that hard work would make people prosperous, and they succeeded in this regard.
However, once people were free, they had to find ways to make money, and slavery wasn’t an option. People could not buy and sell humans, even if you were very powerful. You would have to find someone weak enough to enslave, which did not seem fair at first.
This is what led to the end of slavery in America: powerlessness makes people want to buy and sell each other, which ends in forced labor. This solved the issue of power between owners and slaves, making the system more equitable.
Black people were inferior to whites
The justification for the colonizing Americans to enslave and deport African people was that they were “black” and belonged in Africa.
This idea of being “black” and “lacking in white society” was normalized through religion, culture, and politics. Many Americans believed that black people were superior to whites because of their history of slavery, which continued into today with Congressional acts ruling that a black person is not a citizen unless he or she has at least one white parent.
This idea was so prevalent that even the name for America was given by it. When the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, they named their new landland after them. They called it America because they thought it was the land where black people were going to rise up and take control.
The relatively small number of black people who were able to secure their freedom would not be able to establish a permanent community
The assumption that only black people could be free is one of the more persistent and persistent parts of American culture. As recently as last year, for example, ads for a mortgage credit program included an image of a black man in a sweater, which was considered hip at the time.
This assumption is not just held by mainstream culture. When I was growing up, my church used to have a Christmas display that always featured at least one black man. At my old church, when I went back as an adult to see how things had changed, the display still featured one man in a red sweater sitting in front of some white things.
These examples are not just symbolic – they still assume that being free means being accepted by society as being able to own property or gather a community and raise kids without help.
America is a nation of immigrants, and black people are the descendants of slaves
The idea that the descendants of slaves should return to the status they were before slavery is an appealing one to many.
This sentiment is widespread, as it taps into our sense of history and pride in our country. Many people use Slavery Day as an opportunity to talk about this historical institution, and how it impacted them emotionally and physically.
This idea is not new; during the 1790s, several American leaders voiced support for black people returning to America and settling in former slave states. These leaders believed that black people would be a source of cheap labor for newly rich whites and could strengthen the nation’s economy.
These advocates were not alone in their beliefs; at the time, white people believed that black people were stupid and uneducated and would not know how to organize themselves in order to benefit from slavery. These views played a huge role in advocating for colonization policies.
Colonization was less tumultuous than Indian Removal
Like Indian Removal, the colonization of former slaves rested on the premise that America:
1. Wanted its citizens to be free, and
2. Wanted former slaves to join up so they could be free too!
While many former slaves were happy to accept their freedom, most preferred living in community with other freed people rather than wandering the countryside as freemen. Since they were not accepted into society as equals, they preferred living in communties with other groups of people who were freed. These communities often chose a new name and structure to reflect their new status as freemen.
These communities often chose a new name and structure to reflect their new status as freemen.
The Black Migration created a cultural shift in many cities across the country
The Black migration to the North America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries was a cultural shift that radically changed cities across the country.
Many Black communities were established in formerly white neighborhoods, making a complete change in culture and social structure. The migration increased tensions between White and Black people, who did not trust each other at first.
However, with time, these gaps closed up as both groups developed their own culture and accepted members of other cultures into their community. This was especially true for White people who lived with Black people for some time.
These changes have had an impact on how people today view homeless people, black people, and drug use. It also showed how hard it was for new generations to understand how difficult life was for those before them.
