Date sent:        Thu, 9 May 1996 15:13:42 -0700

Name: Roxanne Jantzi
Email: Roxanne_Jantzi@sfu.ca
Language: English
Subject: History 208
Title:  How Some Black Slaves were able to free themselves in Colonial America.
Grade:  67%
System: Macintosh
Age: 25
Country: Canada
Comments:(A)  Best not attribute moral responsibility to a place.  Better -
Spaniards and Portugeuse of the colonial era...... etc.
(B)  First, Lima was not in the mineral zone; it was in the Andes
mountains.  Secondly, you seems to be mixing 2 things here: the better
chances of slaves in cities and the need for them in the mining industry.
Given your emphasis on urban black slaves maybe a bit more, just by way of
contrast, could have been said about plantation slaves - perhaps most
notable in the Sugar plantations of Brazil.  Also I think the essay could
have been set better in terms of other discussions/readings/lectures on the
casta system and issues of ranking and
Date :Nov 15 1995



        The history of Blacks under the yoke of slavery is not a kind one.
Colonial (A) Latin America was the first and perhaps the worst perpetrator
in the crime of slavery.  Brought from across the sea to work without wages
and to suffer horrible treatment the African element of Latin American
society lived a life of extreme diadvantage.  Eventually the restrictions
placed upon Blacks and the measure of prejudice against them lessened in
severity.  These changes in views and attitudes came slowly but surely when
the Blacks and Spanish whites lived and worked in close proximity with one
another.  Despite the wishes of the Crown the people of White and Black
mixed together commonly ( prof switched "mixed together" and "commonly".
It was in the urban environment that this intermingling of peoples was
bound to happen and where Blacks enjoyed the most opportunities for
freedom.
        Black slaves in colonial Latin America suffered under extreme
prejudice and institutionalized inequality.  Transplanted from their
homeland and lacking a common culture or language, Black slaves were
forcibly integrated into an oppressive Spanish Colonial society and
economy.  However, certain environments for Black slaves were less
oppressive than others.  The urban landscape afforded Black with some
opportunity to better their position i the Americas.  Close contact with
the Spanish commoner and the enormous physical presence of Blacks, free and
slave, gave many Black Americans the chance to rise out of bondage into
self determination.
        Lima, Peru was a prime example of this dynamic.  Here Black slave
labor was in even higher demand than was usual for most of Latin America
due to the extremely high mortality rate of the Indian populations upon
contact with Euorpean and Afican disease.  The Indians that survived were
reluctant to leave the village after the extreme decline in population and
the widespread abuse of the mita system.  As a result, Black labor was in
more demand than it ever was and especially in the urban centres.  Because
Lima was located in a mineral rich coastal area (B) the potential for
economic development was immense if enough labor could be found.
        Lima developed one of the largest populations in the New World with
over half of its inhabitants from the Black or Mulatto caste.  The economy
of Peru was administered and much of its business and trades were performed
in the capital city of Lima.  Lima was a busy coastal seaport that linked
with Pacific trade routes, processed precious metals, defended the high
seas against Dutch and Portuguese invasion, housed the administration of
the colony, enjoyed a construction boom and all of the other economic
amenities associated with a growing metropolis.
        The needy state of the labor market in Lima provided Black slaves
with opportunities to learn skilled trades through apprenticeships and
experience.  With labor in such high demand, slaveowners were more willing
to provide their slaves with incentives to work and to learn skilles
trades.  Better wages, options to buy freedom through a percentage of their
wages.  The prospect of eventual freedom and equal wages strenghthened
black economic independence and social status.
"...Slaves and freemen in urban areas gained access to most manual trades,
despite discriminatory laws...These positions in the urban economy gave
slaves opportunities to earn and accumulate money, which led to manumission
and the growth of a free black community."
        The use of Black labor, free or slave, was widespread throughout
the colony but especially so in the urban areas.  Crown corporations made
use of Black skilled and unskilled slave labor.  The Church also saw the
benefits of using black labor in for skill required functions.  Slaves were
desperately needed to perform labor in nearly every aspect of Lima's
economy except the most exclusive.  Despite the fact that the presence of
Blacks in great quantities was necessary and welcomed by business the
Spanish elite of the society remained apprehensive.  The colonial
government were well aware of the possible problems that a large Black
population in the city would have on their racial caste society.  Laws were
passed that were intended to segregate the races and prevent race mixing.
These laws could not control the tide of popular reality which was that the
races were already mixing and that the urban labor of Black people was
necessary for the economy.
        Another characteristic of Peruvian slave labor was the existence in
every region and every craft of free black and mulatto workers employed
alongside slaves.  For the Black slave to know and come in regular contact
with Blacks who had freed themselves from enslavement must have been
inspirational for them.  The existence of these role model for liberty must
have spurred an even greater resolve among Blacks to eventually secure a
measure of self-determination.
        Race mixture contributed greatly to the number of free colored
people.  When the number of mixed race people escalated the strict
impositions of teh state soon became difficult to uphold.  The mixture of
African and Native was impossible to prevent despite the wishes of the
crown.  Relations between white Spaniards, usually men, and black
mistresses were commonplace in the early colonial period.  The resulting
offspring were in a state of legal ambiguity in the context of the slave
caste system.  This was quite significant because they were a growing
percentage of the urban population.
"In their eyes and in the view of society at large race mixture produced
types who combined the worst defects and vices of both parents.  So strong
was the prejudice that this view tended to become a self-fulfilling
prophecy."
        Despite this viewpoint urban slaves and colored people of mixed
parentage were becoming more important to the society as a whole and more
readily acceptable to the white population.  The seeming generosity of some
masters allowed black artisans to apply a portion of wages towards freedom.
Slaveowners would lease out their slaves to certain businesses for profit.

"Complex web of direct ownership, rentals, and self-employment made the
slaves an extremely mobile and adjustable labor force."
        While being of great benefit to business the increased numbers of
mestizos was testament to the fact that the Black population was also
accepted by a great number of Spanish peoples.  Color was gradually
becoming less important in defining social status.  The adherence to
European or Spanish culture and tradition was now becoming the yardstick
for social acceptance.  Because a majority of the urban Black slaves were
employed domestically a familiarity with Spanish culture already existed
among many Blacks.
        Despite the successes that some Urban Blacks could achieve, the
majority of the Black population, both urban and rural, suffered throughout
Latin America.  The Urban environment was not a haven for Black people but
at least it allowed for some of the Black population to become more than
just slaves.  The reality of the demographics and needs of business
demanded the presence of Blacks in the urban landscape.  The presence of
large numbers of Blacks working and living in close proximity to the
Spanish commoner and the Spanish elite ran in direct conflict with the
state position on racial intermixing and racial prejudice.  The position of
the State was frequently ignored by the general populace in the face of the
physical reality.
        Slave ownership in Peru would become a model for all Spanish and
most of Portuguese America as well.  The same pattern of Black urbanization
and social mixing was eventually experienced throughout Latin America.

