American Slavery Midterm

Bacon's Rebellion

1676 led by Nathaniel Bacon named "choice and standing army" where black and white men from every class (including indentured servants and slaves) joined together against Virginia's royal governor; ignited by the inability of royal governor to respond to Native American attacks. The rebellion included attacks on Native Americans, chasing governor out of Virginia, and burning of capital. IMPORTANCE: the alliance between white indentured servants and slaves frightened those in power and resulted in hardening the distinctions between the two classes to ward off anymore uprisings

Stono Rebellion

1739 slave uprising, mass exodus in South Carolina; perused by militiamen and confronted them in Stono, 50 miles from Florida, most were captured or killed but some did make it to FL; those who did flee were difficult to retrieve since Spanish refused to give them up, it dulled the lowcountry economy for a decade and caused some to question reliance on slavery; result in teaching self-reliance to slaves and experimenting in other crops IMPORTANCE: the success here caused apprehension in white owners

American Revolution

1775-1783; gave slaves leverage against enslavers "how could you fight for freedom while enslaving"; some enslavers listened and slowly freed slaves while others argued that slaves were not men; some enslaved used war as opportunity of escape wither fleeing to Lord Dunmore or leaving in general; slaveholders faltered with the divide between loyalist and patriots

Fugitive Slave Act

1793: no standard of proof, no defense allowed, penalties for aiding escape 1850: part of compromise of 1850, involved local officials, commissioners, denied jury trial favored slave states and had official enforcement

Lousiana Purchase

1803; land purchased by Jefferson from French that doubled the size of the US; introduced the question of what to do about slavery in the new territories; was huge victory for Jefferson, seen as US strength, possibility to remove Indians, and from threat of European influence; diffusion was used; one of the first instances to spark debate about slavery expansion into new territories which continued and further divided antislavery north and slavery south

West Central Africa

45% of slaves sent out of once demand went beyond the coastline

Manumission

A grant of legal freedom to an individual slave; In the North, manumission were more common to the early Atlantic Creoles, especially before the English took over. As the North grew into a slave society, manumissions were much less common until the Revolutionary period where slavery slowly but surely died. Manumissions were especially hard in the Chesapeake region. Lower MS was most "liberal" with manumissions, even upholding them in the face of owner oppression. manumissions began with the placage and moved to others in the home who were close with their owners. Females were disproportionately favored. In the Revolutionary period, however, they sputtered to a stop in the Lower MS. Due to this, self-emancipation became more prevalent and self -purchase grew. In the Lower South during revolution, manumissions grew as wells as self- purchase and influx of free black immigrants who abetted runaways. IMPORTANCE: big way of showing the changing the difference in approach to freedom in different generations and across regions

Paternalism

A policy of treating subject people as if they were children, providing for their needs but not giving them rights.; ideology prevalent in plantation society, slave's extension of owner's estate, granted themselves the right to enter slaves' intimate affairs, complete obedience, and left slaves in permanent childhood

Slave Society

A society in which the institution of slavery affects all aspects of life, violence was systematic and relentless, came in during plantation period with increase need and larger supply of slaves in North America. Slave societies also saw an increase of resistance (either revolts, escape, or increase in African culture) due to IMPORTANCE: the era we remember the most and largely shaped this nation

Plantation System

A system of agricultural production based on large-scale land ownership and the exploitation of labor and the environment. This system focused on the production of cash crops and utilized slave labor. Planation labor was most prevelant in the Chesapeake region and lower country. The north could not uphold plantations IMPORTANCE: this signaled a change across all regions in a transition, in some cases, from a society with slaves to slave societies, seeing an increase in violence against enslaved and decrease in slave and white relations evident in charter generation

Task System

A system of slave labor under which a slave had to complete a specific assignment each day. After they finished, their time was their own. Used primarily on rice plantations. In the Lowcountry, this made them a jack of all trades and allowed them to set their pace, defined standards of workmanship and divided labor among themselves IMPORTANCE: highlights the change between charter and plantation

Saltwater Slavery

Africans forced across the transatlantic slave trade and middle passage for use in North America; transfer was very deadly and traumatic; book by Stephanie Smallwood detailing African experience across the Middle Passage to America; details how the separation from their home had internal effects; some decided to commit suicide; many could not keep track of the days at sea bc of the way they kept track of time; those who jumped would never be put to rest

3/5ths clause

Article 1 section 2 clause 3 laying out that for means of representation and taxing , count three out of every 5 slaves; favored slave holding states; was reversed with 14th amendment; allowed and pushed slavery; viewed as greatest slaveholder victory; argued by Wills to result in Jefferson winning 1800 election

Fugitive Slave Clause

Article IV, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution, which stated that slaves who escaped must be returned to their owners. It was later abolished in the Thirteenth Amendment; had no enforcement resulting in passage of Fugitive Slave Act; once again pushed slavery

Thomas Jefferson

Author of Declaration of Independence, 3rd president, from Virginia and well known as an enslaver, his writings were quite clear that he did not believe in the intermixing of the races and could not see the two living peacfully. His writings also illustrated the idea that slavery must continue bc they did not know what to do without it

Negotiation

Berlin argues that slavery was a negotiated relationship; though owners constrained their freedom, slaves were never fully defined by them. In almost every region, slaves tried to have a connection to African culture. After the Charter generation, slaves began to have a unique naming practice that was not one to resemble their owners. Africans also developed churches and had other cultural ties. Both the slave and enslaver had to recognize the relationship and each others legitimacy. Slavery was also always changing (look at difference between charter, plantation, and revolution). IMPORTANCE: not really known but important undertone throughout the time of slavery and even continued after Civil War and into Civil Rights era

Naming Practices

Charter Generation: Atlantic Creoles choose names reminiscent of European to illustrate their assimilation into society Plantation Generation: the names given were reminiscent of their owner's contempt either being extremely common names in the country of control, names that are more common for barn animals, or even some from a great deity; the greater the name, the more insignificant in eyes of owner Revolutionary Generation: newly emancipated would celebrate by changing name as a symbol of liberation and political defiance (reverse from new name in beginning) they would give themselves anglo-american names in their proper form as well as surnames something they were not allowed before

Slaves' Economy

Charter Generation: with more freedom in almost every region resulted in slaves being able to create their own system to gain money, either through independent farming, trading, and artisan crafts Plantation Generation: with increased labor through plantation as well as the decrease in slave's rights saw a decrease in slave's economy since there was no time to work independently and even laws constraining the right to work independently in competition with owner Revolutionary Generation: with freedom and new markets, the slave economy grew again, in both generations, they would sell their labor to some, the emergence of males in manufacture, it left most gang systems with women in the fields. money allowed slaves to self purchase

1741 Conspiracy

During this time tension was high with revolts in South Carolina and Caribbean as well as other controversies. In New York, 13 fires erupted across Manhattan in a span of 2 months. After one slave was caught fleeing a fire and the testimony of an indentured servant, some 200 slaves were tried for conspiracy to burn down the town and murder all white inhabitants. Despite the lack of witnesses, it is believed that 100 slaves were executed, by hanging or burning at the stake. IMPORTANCE: illustrated the fear and tension in white society about a possible uprising.

Cotton Gin

Eli Whitney 1793; increased production of cotton; separated seeds from cotton fibers; increased production increased demand and became the next big cash crop; resulted in creation of king cotton; expanded plantation system and thus expanded slavery, increasing the domestic slave trade

Rice

Lowcountry (South Carolina, Georgia, and east Florida); in Charter generation, slaves in SC rapidly developed plantation in last decades of 17th century did not allow Atlantic creoles there to have the same experience as slaves elsewhere; the riches from rice spurred the increase of plantation increasing demand for Africans, increasing trade and lower quality of black life; 1720 half of SC exports were rice; midcentury of 1700s found rice move from largely uplands to coastal plains; Charles Town became center of lowland slave trade as increase in demand of slaves grew; used gang system

Three Caste Society

Lowcountry/ revolutionary era; black, white, and brown; those of African descent split from those free (brown) and those enslaved; freed blacks invested heavily in slavery either freeing family members or for small farms outside Charleston; was created because freed no longer fit with the enslaved with new freedoms but was never accepted into white society; even divided among light skin and dark skin blacks; what whites did to browns, browns did to whites. Also evident post revolutionary era in Lower MS

Natchez Rebellion

November 1729, lead by Natchez Indians who were pushed to the brink by expanding plantation and fearful of own enslavement; joined with newly arrived slaves to kill 200 French citizens (more than 10% of European population of Louisiana; liberated hundreds of slaves and more joined; governor employed black slaves with another indian tribe to retaliate against Natchez killing hundreds Indians and slaves while recovering many slaves lost

Maroons

Runaway slaves from Lowcountry, Chesapeake and Lower MS who gathered in mountainous, forested, or swampy areas and formed their own self-governing communities. raided plantations for supplies, such communities have existed since the first years of settlement; chasing and getting rid of maroon communities was difficult, dangerous, and expensive so as long as they stayed away, owners turned a blind eye. maroon life was not easy, however and so many did not join and those who did were young men. Their existence, however, made owners apprehensive in discipline in Lowcountry and guided slave resistance their. In Lower MS, it was larger than anywhere else who had the help of local Indians and those who stayed on plantations fed them. Villages acted as trade posts for stolen goods and interracial relations. New laws from Code Noir tried to eradicate maroons by turning aids agasint them and employing Indians and slaves to hunt them down but could never fully be eradicated IMPORTANCE: strengthened slaves hand and worried owners because it offered an alternative to slavery and succeeded.

Coartacion

Self Purchase: the ability for a slave to buy his or her own freedom in Spanish law. What was once customary practice, it gained the force of law in the 18th century. Once self-purchase began, it could not be stopped. Even if the owner refused to negotiate, the slave could receive a court order. Known as the carta, any future owners must recognize the steps to self-purchase. When manumissions lowered during the Revolutionary period, those who joined the military and even those on home front continued to buy freedom mainly during last two decades of 18th century. Purchase mother first since follow mother's status IMPORTANCE: showed the difference between Spanish treatment and English

Societies with Slaves

Slave labor was marginal to the overall economy; slaveholders were part of but did not dominate the social, economic and political elite; during Charter generation, newly arrived slaves tried to incorporate or assimilate in society. Largely Atlantic Creoles. There were large populations of freed Africans; worked among indentured servants; Lower MS was the last one to change in 1790s with increase demand for sugar IMPORTANCE: showed the beginning of slavery in nation and how it changed and grew

Gang System

Slaves worked in large well-ordered gangs under close supervision according to the seasonally time of rice. During plantation generation in the rice fields in Lowcountry; the slaves would work on a cycle, beginning in April with sowing followed by flooding the fields, hoing to suppress weeds then alternatively flooding and draining the field. In August, the slaves returned to ward off unwanted pests until the harvest in September. Once harvest was complete, the cycle began again by preparing the field; gang system was also evident in the tobacco fields in Chesapeake which was aimed at squeezing labor out and subject to minute inspection by overseers; this demanded that enslaved persons worked longer and harder IMPORTANCE: showed how slave labor changed from doing a little of everything to mirroring an assembly line almost

Life Insurance on slaves

Southern Mutual Life Insurance Company worked throughout the deep south and has records of over 4 thousands insurance policies taken out on enslaved; application would involve health questionnaire and health appraisal, the premium was based on year by year death averages; insurance could start as early as birth though majority of insurance on young began at age 10; insurance was treated like property and continued during Civil War; as they aged, insurance had less to do with age and more to do with health and strength as well as earning potential (males more than females)

Lord Dunmore

Virginia's royal governor who in 1775 (revolutionary period) promised freedom to all who reached his camp. Northern slaves did not have to travel to Virginia since in 1776, he traveled to Staten Island so New York and Jersey slaves could enter the British ranks. This proclamation was made after a delegation of slaves from Chesapeake region traveled to him in April of 1775 to offer the services in exchange for freedom. Though he sent them home, in November he issued the proclamation. Dunmore used black recruits to raid Virginia coast and they aided hundreds of slaves in escaping. This worried many enslavers and resulted in ads and other means worrying against runaways. After escaping to Bermuda, a few hundred followed him. In the end, 800 enslaved persons escaped to join his army while hundreds more heard his promise of freedom and were infected IMPORTANCE: His promise of freedom inspired hundreds to runaway, either to find him or to try to find someone else to take them in. Those who did not run were still infected with the promise of freedom and its possibility

Atlantic Creoles

a term used in North America to describe the Charter Generation of slaves during the European colonization of the Americas before 1660. These slaves had cultural roots in Africa, Europe and sometimes the Caribbean; they first emerged as intermediaries between Europeans and Africans on the coast. On the African coast, they are outcasts of both sides; some were of mixed heritage. On the coast, they used negotiation and language skills in a powerful bargaining position with European; with their power, many were able to escape slavery while those who were enslaved were cast to the margins of slave societies since theri social skills scared large owners; Atlantic creoles shaped the charter generation compared to the slaves that were imported later, they broadly had more freedom and Independence. Arguably, this was because they spoke the language and tried to assimilate into the society they were placed in. They also worried the owners since because they were so able to assimilate into society. Their presence was marked by being a society with slaves IMPORTANCE: the first in the group of Africans to come over, their ability to assimilate is not seen again for generations. Their relationship with owners was unique given their abilities. They took advantage of the new trade and grew as the slave trade grew. Their position influenced the Charter generation and their interaction with enslavers

Runaway Ads

ads placed in papers searching for fugitive slaves; would list names and physical descriptions; would list how the might be trying to get by; would offer prize money plus some would offer money for names of those who helped them; illustrated the property aspect of the enslaved by reducing them to a price that must be returned

Revolutionary Generation

as white's demanded equality, slaves demanded freedom, some whites understood and applied the logic; the divide in planters between Loyalists and Patriots made them use their enslaved that went against the state whose authority previously upheld slavery. As the state turned against the planter's while nonslaverholders forged new ties with others or with slaves and pushed the planter's from atop the society and opened for a change in African American life; increased in freed illustrated possibility of freedom Despite increase idea of freedom, freedom progressed slowly and unevenly and in some places, slavery grew rapidly after the reopening of the slave trade; "all men created equal" was also used against abolitionist since maybe the slaves were not men; those who failed to gain freedom redefined slavery through confrontation with owners over labor discipline, autonomy, and culture independence

Ira Berlin

author if Many Thousands gone; examines the changes in slave life across north america in its first two decades; divides into three generations (charter, plantation, revolutionary); identifies four regions: north, lowcountry, chesapeake, and lower ms valley; argues slavery is not only a social construction but also a historical construction

Daina Berry

author of The Price for their pound to flesh; explores the value (market and appraisal) of enslaved persons from the womb to past the grave; also examines how this value had an effect on the enslaved and their experience; incorporates real testimony from enslaved and enslavers as support; associate professor at UT Austin;

Fort Mose

black settlement north of St. Augustine in FL during charter generation; meant to protect against English assault on St. Augustine and as agriculture settlement; under Spanish military supervision and a former slave in charge; also a base for former slaves with Indians to raid South Carolina; blacks evacuated after Stono Rebellion

Refuse Slaves

criminals, political prisoners, religious heretics, and debtors; popular during Charter Generation; came from African coastal towns; as demand grew, slavery turned to any where in the wrong place at wrong time and was not limited to refuse

Sugar

discovered in 12th century by the Levant; Lower Mississippi Valley; as sugar increased and moved Lower MS was pushed from the outcast of plantations to the center; promise of riches caused Spanish to reopened slave trade and in 1790s lower MS transitioned into a slave society where they were once a society with slaves; after the Saint Domingue rebellion in 1791 who was the height of suagr market dropped, Lower MS moved in since Louisiana planters were already experimenting

Plantation Generation

during early 1700s until revolutionary period, marked by more violence and earlier deaths of enslaved, was spurned on by the growth of plantations which called for an increase in labor, these enslaved did not want to assimilate (resistance); lack of family life, very little opportunities for legal freedom except in Lower MS; the planter's rule was absolute by force and law (unspoken or written) plantations also radicalized the idea of racial ideologies and entwined white supremacy with chattel bondage; increased violence also saw increased level of resistance in a variety of forms (maroons, truancy, insurrection) Increased slavery changed Africa, developing new slave ports, the construction of dynasties from the profits of slave trading, and the emergence of new states, changed from refuse slaves to just anyone in the wrong place at the wrong time (only preference was of males) ; the enslaved were also marked by divisions bc language, culture and etc barriers; began in 17th in Chesapeake

Charter Generation

during the late 1600s and early 1700s, it was the first presence of slaves in North America. many of the slaves tried to assimilate into society by learning language, adopting religion, and choosing names mirroring the names of owners. Charter generation largely worked with their owners in the field and some regions (North and Lower MS) they had legal ways of freedom. The charter generation was also marked by Atlantic Creoles. Family life was also prevalent during this era; unity between slaves since most have similar backgrounds

Diffusionism

during the time of westward expansion; proposed that by spreading slaves westward, it would improve situation and lead to emancipation; wrong; the act organizing MS territory reflected this, not allowing for importation of international slaves but did allow for introduction of slaves from other US territories/ states; was a good middle ground for slaveholders and abolitionists

childhood

enslaved children, if lucky, were still with families or at least their mothers; would not truly understand their status and what it meant to be a slave until age 10 which by then they would have most likely witnessed and even participated in market; would play with enslavers children; their knowledge of status would occur after either separation or sale; by age 10, fully shifted into servitude

Breeders

enslaved women used for the purpose of expanding the enslaved population and workforce; average age of birth was 19; appraisal linked to ability to reproduce in some areas; forced breeding was very common among breeders where a male would be used to breed with the breeder; very important to enslavers after slave trade ban; lowered women to the status of a womb

Slave Truancy

escaping or running away from owners; some would result in maroons; became such a large problem that fugitive laws had to be passed for owners to collect back their enslaved; some, however, would return once they found out the difficulties of escaping especially before the creation of freed states; one of many and likely most prevalent form of physical resistance

Indentured Servants

free labor for a determined amount of years in exchange for room and board or as punishment. In charter generation, indentured servants worked along side slaves. As plantation work grew, slaves slowly replaced indentured servants as the main source of labor in Chesapeake, North and other regions. mostly young men without families, similar to slaves. In the North, conditional manumissions and the poverty many faced required some former slaves to enter into long-term indenture ships causing a resurgence of the old practice As the indentured servitude became aligned with black labor, the smaller the difference in treatment between slavery and servitude

"Person with a Price"

from Johnson's Soul by Soul; meant to describe the treatment of enslaved persons in the slave market; there, people witnessed enslaved persons in pens; to white's this was all a enslaved person was; illustrates the degrading treatment of slaves in the market ang their forced place in society

Slave Trade Ban

in constitution, it is said the trade would continue until 20 years passed the passage of constitution; international trade banned in 1808; resulted in an increase in the domestic slave trade; though outlawed, continued illegally until the 1850s;

Code Noir

instituted by French in 1685; meant to regulate slavery; originally cared more about Jews and Protestant s that race and slavery; introduced to Louisiana in 1724; weighted against manumissions and self-purchase and those who were freed had to defer to former owners; required slaves be instructed by church and given sacraments, cannot separate married spouses nor mothers from family (no evidence it was followed); stiff punishment for runaways

Slave Codes

laws to control slaves; would change throughout the generation as well as change across regions; in Charter Generation, the laws mostly defined and strengthened enslavers power while "protecting" the slave from extreme treatment, would also include ways to freedom. in plantation generation, slave codes became much more favorable to the absolute power of the enslaver while extremely limiting ways to freedom; by revolutionary generation, regions began to differentiate, North began to include more emancipation laws while chesapeake and lower ms increased slaveholder control

Saint Malo

maroon from New Orleans who moved undetected through the countryside and New Orleans in the daylight to acquire arms; aided by both freed and enslaved; would raid plantations and steal cattle; reputation reached myth status in Lower MS; planter's discipline deteriorated as maroons became more of an option; showed loss of plantation authority and threatened lower ms economy

Westward Expansion

movement of people to the west with hopes and promises of land and profits; created question of what to do about slavery, allow it in new territories or deny it; this struggle divided abolitionists and slaveholders; led to a lot of litigation in early 1800s to 1850s; two important ones are Missouri Compromise and Compromise of 1850

Slave Traders

people who participated and worked in the slave trade; would seperate families; white or black (Africans that worked on the African coast); would use Atlantic creoles to be a middle man

Tobacco

prevalent in Chesapeake; what began as a poor man's crop in the charter generation due to its ability to grow in small farms as well as plantation systems, required many hands and resulted in increase of enslaved in the region; also in lower MS but harder to cultivate; during plantation generation, enslaved were overseen by overseers and resulted in diminishing slave economy, during revolution, tobacco diminished as focus was placed on other things but after the war, enslaved who were able to find other jobs were back in tobacco fields since planters saw tobacco as rich quick

adolescence

puberty age; where majority were separated from family; girls became women after menstruation, increasing their appraisal price; young boys became to be men who worked hard in the field; fully manifested their soul values or spiritual value; period of maturing and knowledge

Transatlantic Slave Trade

slave trade from Africa to the America's; created a whole new economic system in both America's, Europe, and in Africa; the beginning saw an emergence of Atlantic Creoles; though legally abolished in 1807, the last known ship did not end until a few decades later; saw a sharp increase in the plantation generation

Value

soul value: represented the self-worth of the enslaved person, lacking from the market value; some's soul value was so large they could never accept the bounds of slavery while others weakened by enslavement would negotiate to survive; tied to spirituality Appraisal value: projected value done by planters, doctors, traders, and others based on potential work output; usually less than actual sell price; males appraised higher than females; value increased as they aged then after mid-adulthood ( late twenties to early thirties) slowly declined again Market value: the sale price negotiated at competitive market; often marked highest price; once again highest for males and increased as potential labor increased; lowered persons to the status of property

Gold Coast

southern coast of West Africa; reemerged in slave trade during the 1780s as demand for slaves grew in Lowcountry to South Carolina; first used by Portuguese before other European countries came in; port also participated in trade outside of slavery

Slave Power

term used by antislavery advocates to describe conspiracy of southern politicians and northern business owners. Planned to expand the bounds of slavery into new territory; argued that slaveholders were in control of their state's government and were trying to control federal government to push agenda on states; between 1840s and 1850s; not always steemed from abolitionist moral argument but fear of economic and political imbalance

Fictive Kinship

the creation of familial ties to those outside bloodlines; began on middle passage with slaves from the beginning; continued within slave communities as the only tie they had (creoles); in North, they would adopt children if parents died; happened despite language barriers; continued into the antebellum period; was because the separation of families forced people to make their own

Placage

the lovers of owners and their children in Lower MS. Manumissions greatly favored them in the beginning. Slaveholders considered them family. more than half of voluntary manumissions were for children during plantation generation. This trend continued into revolutionary period. They would purchase women first since future generations followed mother's status. IMPORTANCE: once again highlighted the different approach of Spanish to slavery

Enslaved mothers

the status of the children were based on status of mother; laws required that children as old as 14 had to stay with mother but was broken; most would try to stop separation but could not

Urban Slavery

this was focused more on skilled labor and artisan jobs; had more freedoms in some cases than rural slavery, could live independently; charter generation worked in the home then transitioned into factories and other skilled labor; urban slavery, though slow, was quicker to disappear than rural slavery

Free people of color

those of African heritage who were free during years of slavery; could come about through manumissions, self-purchase, and self-liberation CHARTER: in the North, one in five secured their freedom; created their own community Plantation: as demand for slaves grew, freed people lowered since ways to freedom diminished; even those who obtained freedom had a lose of rights Revolution: with new ideology, freed people raised again but in some areas it resulted in a new class beside white and enslaved blacks, now there were freed blacks

Domestic Slave Trade

trade of enslaved people among states and territories in the U.S.; outlawing of international trade increased domestic slave trade; comes out of high demand of cotton; traumatic and broke up many families; cemented the idea of slaves as property and fueled abolitionists; tobacco planters no longer needed large scale labor force since forced decrease of tobacco culitzation leads them to sell enslaved; north enslavers also sold enslaved as abolitionist laws rolled through rather than free them

Middle Passage

voyage between Africa and Americas; very deadly resulting in thousands never reaching america; some would jump over board during trip than face slavery at the end; was used by abolitionist to show the terrible treatment of Africans

Slave Market

where enslaved persons were priced and sold; arranged in pens with 10-15 ft tall walls; though on its face resembled some sort of slave cabin, it was nothing more than a prison; here, young enslaved children were made aware of their status in life while other whites witnessed the depths of slavery; lowered enslaved to person's with a price; run by slave traders

Absenteeism

where the enslaver would not live at the same land as the enslaved, leaving the handling of enslaved to overseers; came out during the plantation generation; prevalent in lowcountry but lacking in Lower MS and even Chesapeake

Overseers

would watch over and guide slaves; became more prevalent in plantation generation with the use of gang system; would highly scrutinize the slaves, causing longer and more precise labor in areas such as rice, tobacco, and cotton; represented the end of slaves working alongside their owners

U.S. Constitution

written in 1787 and ratified in 1788; laid out the new government and other rights of the people of the new nation; though never used slavery, did allow for it to continue while having multiple clauses highlighting the thought of blacks (3/5th clause)