M4D1 HIS

In the 17th and 18th centuries life was hierarchical. An individual’s place in the world was usually determined by his/her gender, religion, race, & family background. A person from a well-placed family was viewed as intrinsically superior to someone of “low birth.”  Servants were therefore seen as lower types of person than those they served.  Europeans viewed themselves as more “civilized” than other cultures they encountered, particularly Africans and Native Americans.

In preparation for this discussion, read The Reverend Hugh Jones’ description of Virginia slavery on page 231 in Kupperman.

Based on the philosophy outlined above, for your initial response, develop an argument that explains whether or not racial prejudice among English settlers was the primary basis for enslavement. That is, did race determine who would be enslaved, or were there other reasons that Africans were targeted as slaves than the fact that they were not Europeans? Support your answer with specific examples.

Next, with reference to The Reverend Hugh Jones’ description of Virginia slavery, discuss with two other students whether you think Jones is for or against slavery. Use specific examples from his writing.

Compose your work using a word processor and save it, as a Plain Text or an .rtf, to your computer.  When you're ready to make your initial posting, please click on the “Create Thread” button and copy/paste the text from your document into the message field.  Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you post it.