Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America
Starting with the Emergence of Atlantic Creoles in the Chesapeake, The book opens by telling the story of Anthony Johnson, a slave from Jamestown, Virginia who gained his own freedom. Johnson eventually became a very successful farmer and ironically had slaves of his own. As a master now, Johnson provided food and shelter for his slaves while allowing them to buy freedom just as he had done. Some slave-owners were harsher than other slave owners while some allowed their slaves to be financially independent.
Then there was the Expansion of Creole Society in the North. The north also had slaves but didn’t have slave societies. In the North, the slaves were preferred to have experience because they understood European ways already. Mostly Atlantic Creoles settled here. New York had the highest number of slaves who progressed into former slaves. The North could not afford plantation life but accepted the principle idea. In the North slaves did not have the best living conditions however. Slaves were sometimes forced to sleep in back rooms or closets compared to the South where they lived in quarters and homes.
Next I would like to address the divergent paths in the low country. In the Low Country, slaves gained freedom and were even involved in political life. Rice cultivation is what caused slavery to be different in low country compared to other regions. In the low country, escaping from slavery was easier versus any other region as well. Slaves were even allowed to serve in the military because the low country was threatened violently more than other regions. Due to Blacks serving on the military they were incorporated into the culture of mainly Florida but not admitted into normal European life.
When it comes to the Devolution in the Lower Mississippi Valley, the Mississippi Valley was