Howard Zinn: The Development Of Race-Based Slavery In America

Their discussions are quite different due to the fact that they zoom in on topics that peek their own interest. For Zinn, he described why the development of race-based slavery in America began. He mentioned that the settlers did not know basic survival skills, like obtaining food. Therefore, they need laborers to grow and cultivate food for them specifically corn and these laborers would have to be people who were not costly to them. They used slaves from Africa because well they were easier to ‘control’ than the whites and indentured servants. Zinn focused more on the fact that these people were torn from their culture and brought here against their will, to engage in unfavorable conditions. The degree of cruelty these people faced made this

form of slavery the most corrupt form. Zinn is not necessarily pointing fingers and saying they should be held accountable, he was emphasizing on the conditions the slaves were facing.
Johnson on the other hand focus was not primarily on the people suffering but essentially the gain of the economy.

2. What light do these documents shed on Zinn and Johnson’s argument? Where do you see support for Zinn’s perspective? For Johnson’s?
The Board of Trade Seeks Information on the Slave Trade, 1708 supports Johnson’s argument in my opinion because it was geared towards the inventory of slaves.
Olaudah Equiano Recalls His Enslavement, the 1750s supports Zinn argument because it is about a slave basically telling his story. And the things he remembered when he was captured. This is similar to what Zinn would write about, which is basically what the people faced and their side of the story.

3. Was the development of slavery in America “inevitable”? Why or why not?
I would not say it was inevitable but if they took a different route for laborers it would be more costly to the settlers. It did not have to happen but, if it did not happen by one set of Europeans, a different group may try using this ‘free labor’ notion because they were trying to reduce cost to them. If people were less money hungry and were not concerned about status, perhaps the development of slavery in America would not occur.

Daily Prep Work-questions for class discussion:
1. Zinn spent an entire chapter on slavery but, Johnson only mentioned it in a couple of pages, why?
2. What kind of psychological damage might the slaves faced during those times?