America's Dark History of Racial Exploitation: Colonialism and The Slave Trade
- Lauren Fryman
- Feb 25, 2018
- 2 min read
The emergence and development of racial/ethnic inequality in the United States began during the times of colonialism and the slave trade. According to Fitzgerald, “The emergence of the transatlantic slave trade actually helped create ‘race,’ the idea of dividing humanity into hierarchical categories based upon physical appearances. It is through the slave trade that Europeans began viewing themselves collectively as ‘white’ and Africans as ‘black.’ (Fitzgerald, 2017, p. 110) Prior to this racialized viewpoint, prejudices were most often justified along religious lines. For example, Fitzgerald states, “During the colonial era, European Christians felt considerable prejudice toward the non-Christians they encountered in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, viewing them as uncivilized, inferior heathens. New World slavery began in the late 1500s, and Europeans at that time justified their exploitation of Africans and Indians along religious rather than racial lines.” (Fitzgerald, 2017, p. 110)
The United States has a long history of exploitation of different groups including African Americans, Native Americans, and Mexican Americans. African Americans were forced into slavery for more than 240 years and have continued to be exposed to subsequent acts of racism following the abolition of slavery. Native Americans were uprooted from their native lands and faced genocide at the hands of Europeans. Mexican Americans faced similar exploitation. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo turned over half of Mexico’s territory to the United States and resulted in Mexican Americans losing both political and economic power along with being driven off their lands and being forced into low-wage, menial labor. (Fitzgerald, 2017, p. 127)
A slave narrative that really shows the mindset of the era is that of Sarah Frances Shaw Graves, whom talks about how when a slave was allotted, a down payment was made and a chattel mortgage was paid for the rest. She also discusses how slaves could be both sold and rented out. In reference to this Sarah states, “Times don’t change, just the merchandise.” That line hit me hard and really shows the mentality of the time with slaves, not as human beings, but property that was disposable or only valued based on their cash value. (Talk Real Solutions, 2016)
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