The First Efforts to Limit the African Slave Trade Arise in the American Revolution: Part 1 of 3, The New England Colonies

Journal of the American Revolution ^ | September 14, 2020 | Christian M. McBurney

[Retain Mike]

When reading James Madison’s notes to the Constitutional Convention, I found two examples of discourses during debates that abhorred the institution of slavery and never found one defending its propriety. Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania said, “It was a nefarious institution. It was the curse of heaven on states where it prevailed. Compare Middle States where a rich and noble civilization marks prosperity and happiness with….great regions of slaves presenting a desert increasing in proportion to these retched beings”. George Mason of Virginia said, “This infernal traffic originated in the avarice of British merchants…. Slavery discourages arts and manufactures….Every master of slaves is born a petty tyrant….They bring the judgement of heaven on a country. As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, they must be in this”.

[JeanLM]

New Enland traders, specifically the Browns of Rhode Island, were some of the first in the colonies to actually go to Africa and get slaves to bring to the New World. They didn’t start until the 1720’s and were in violation of the slaver commissioning process run by Britain. If the Brit Navy caught them they would have been harshly treated and their ships and cargo confiscated. They sold their cargoes in the Caribbean where the prices were better. US slave traders were a very late and small group of players in the trade from Africa to North America.

[wardaddy]

Zzzz

I care so much

Slavery

Schmavery

We’ve lost our nation and you’re still flagellating

How weak

[proxy_user]

No, they were regular English criminals, whose death sentence was commuted to transportation to the colonies, to be sold there for a 7-year contract. Many of them got rather unpleasant work.

[GingisK]

Not so! The British made slavery illegal in 1833. Britain vs slavery. Queen Victoria spend a great deal of effort trying to get the United States to follow suit.

[Chgogal]

Bookmark

[ProgressingAmerica]

"The British made slavery illegal in 1833"

Practically speaking the British made abolitionism illegal in 1770.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3982105/posts

[Brass Lamp]

Do you know America didn’t exist prior to 1776? I shouldn’t have to ask, but maybe you didn’t know since you treat “New England” as if its one word or phrase, without asking what that “England” part is all about. That “England” part of “New England” is actually really important. We weren’t free colonies, we had no will of our own. That’s what Independence was all about.

Your explanation and usage of "New England" indicate that you incorrectly believe that name to have applied to the colonies in general, prior to Independence. Rather, that is only the name given to a small region comprised of a small number of colonies which, with an enduring continuity of identity, persists to this day. It wasn't a period term for America.

The fact remains that at any point prior to Independence slavery was the British Empire’s cargo, on board the Empire’s ships moving in between one of the Empire’s ports to another of the Empire’s ports. Nothing you can do to change that. That’s the factual timeline. America did not exist until Independence was declared. The date is July 2nd, 1776.

You were replying to:

"British warships were intercepting New England (especially Rhode Island) financed-built-owned-operated transports until well after the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified."

You can't very well blame the Brits for US domestic policy at that late date.

[ProgressingAmerica]

When you have something to discuss about early America and the colonies, let me know.