Question

In "The Giddy Multitude," Ronald Takaki describes the two types of people from two different continents that were brought to the English colonies as indentured servants and slaves. Identify these two populations based on their continent of origin or ethnicity and how they were labeled by "race" in the colonies. Although originally lumped together as a social class of unfree laborers, how, by who, and for what reason were they eventually separated?

Note: please answer the questions in a few sentences or short paragraphs.

Answer 1

People from both Europe and Africa were brought as indentured labourers while the British Americans were considered as the British citizens, although that too changed later. The problem was that the Europeans were white and shared a commonality with the British white while the African Americans remained aloof in all aspects such as culture, religion, language etc. Although both of them were treated equally initially with a promise of freedom and benefits after 4 to 7 years of service, both Massachusetts in 1641 and Virginia in 1661 passed slave laws that limited the African Americans from enjoying the benefits that the White Europeans enjoyed. This further paved way for a more stringent slave laws that would become history.

Thank you for your question. Please rate if you like the answer.