Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: 1619 project

to add to connor's point, who has read toni morrison's magnificent novel Mercy. it paints quite a surprising picture of those who arrived and settled early in the 17th century. it focuses not on slaves, but indentured peoples, who included whites and native people and blacks. by the end of the century, she tells us, that situation had changed, no doubt as plantation slavery started to be implemented. at that point slavery had become racialized, with laws dictating that slaves would be black. we all know morrison was an historian before turning into a novelist.

i admit not to knowing the history of the u.s. well. we all know the spanish came to florida first, etc., and they had slaves. when i googled spain and slavery in the new world, i was amazed to learn that in latin america spain legally barred it. it got complicated, goes in all directions. they were conquistadores, etc., with lots of blood on their hands. but their rules on slavery amazed me. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_colonial_Spanish_America

Slavery in colonial Spanish America - Wikipedia Slavery in the Spanish American colonies was an economic and social institution which existed throughout the Spanish Empire including Spain itself. In its American territories, Spain displayed an early abolitionist stance towards indigenous people although Native American slavery continued to be practiced, particularly until the New Laws of 1543. The Spanish empire, however was involved in the ... en.wikipedia.org

here's one part of it, from 16th century spanish laws: "Technically, the indigenous people held in encomienda were not slaves, but their unpaid labor was mandatory and coerced,^[4] and while in theory they were "cared for" by the person in whose charge they were placed (encomendado), this might mean offering them the Christian religion and other perceived (by the Spaniards) benefits of Christian civilization"

also, i am curious about the french, who preceded the brits in america. i know they were mostly trappers, and had alliances with native people. but did they not also have slaves? anywhere? seems improbable, since by the 17th century they had become a big part of the slave trade, and had come down to what is now the u.s. from the north. e.g.detroit was french, so was part of NY. the french had native indian allies, and various tribes still practiced slavery. were the french not part of that too?

these are questions not intended to oppose the political storm of the 1619 project, where i am perfectly happy to silence my questions and support the politics that promotes it. we are living a tense political moment over race where even old political/literary/sociological theory used 30 years ago, called critical race theory, is now being legislated out of existence by the most racist political movement in my lifetime.

i trust that this group of scholars and friends can discuss academic and intellectual matters, and even learn more from each other--especially as we have lots of historians on the list.

ken

kenneth harrow

professor emeritus

dept of english

michigan state university

517 803-8839

harrow@msu.edu

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From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Connor Ryan <connoro.ryan@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 2, 2021 12:10 PM
To: USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: 1619 project

 

Have folks read Laila Lalami's novel The Moor's Account? Not her best work, but the book's premise alone is enthralling. In a way, she writes the history the 1619 project overlooks. The novel is framed as the (fictional) memoir of Estebanico, an African slave mentioned in historical records from the 1527 Spanish expedition lead by Cabeza de Vaca through, among other places, present-day Florida. 

I found the novel intriguing for how Lalami interrogates what "slave" entails in the context of the expedition, and how the slave's bondage dissolves as the Spanish masters wander further from everything that once enshrined their authority. The novel also reflects what the wikipedia note mentions about rebellion and falling in with indigenous communities.

Connor

On Sunday, May 30, 2021 at 6:03:30 AM UTC-5 Kenneth Harrow wrote:

could one of you historians explain to me why the 1619 project wants to make the claim that the first slaves brought to the u.s. was in 1619 when the spanish had done so earlier?

here's a piece of the wiki reference on this:

In Spanish Florida and farther north, the first African slaves arrived in 1526 with Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón's establishment of San Miguel de Gualdape on the current Georgia coast.^[38][39] They rebelled and lived with indigenous people, destroying the colony in less than 2 months.^[40] More slaves arrived in Florida in 1539 with Hernando de Soto, and in the 1565 founding of St. Augustine, Florida.^[39][40] Native Americans were also enslaved in Florida by the encomienda system.^[41][42] slaves escaping to Florida from the colony of Georgia were freed by Carlos II's proclamation November 7, 1693 if the slaves were willing to convert to Catholicism,^[43][44] and it became a place of refuge for slaves fleeing the Thirteen Colonies.^[44][45]

ken

kenneth harrow

professor emeritus

dept of english

michigan state university

517 803-8839

har...@msu.edu

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