The Historical Child: Paidology; The Science of the ChildChrisman, Oscar
History
The Historical Child: Paidology; The Science of the Child
Chrisman, Oscar
Children; Manners and customs
"Though in the beginning he refused to harbor or tolerate
negro-stealers, the Massachusetts Puritan of that day, enraged at the
cruelty of the savage red men, did not hesitate to sell Indian captives
as slaves to the West Indies. King Phillip's wife and child were thus
sold and there died. Their story was told in scathing language by Edward
Everett. In 1703 it was made legal to transport and sell in the
Barbadoes all Indian male captives under ten, and Indian women captives.
Perhaps these transactions quickly blunted whatever early feeling may
have existed against negro slavery, for soon the African slave-trade
flourished in New England, as in Virginia, Newport being the New England
center of the Guinea trade. From 1707 to 1732 a tax of three guineas a
head was imposed in Rhode Island on each negro imported--on 'Guinea
blackbirds.' It would be idle to dwell now on the cruelty of that horrid
traffic, the sufferings on board the slavers from lack of room, of food,
of water, of air. But three feet three inches was allowed between decks
for the poor negro, who, accustomed to a free, out-of-door life, thus
crouched and sat through the passage. No wonder the loss of life was
great. It was chronicled in the newspapers and letters of the day in
cold, heartless language that plainly spoke the indifference of the
public to the trade and its awful consequence. I have never seen in any
Southern newspapers advertisements of negro sales that surpass in
heartlessness and viciousness the advertisement of our New England
newspapers of the eighteenth century. Negro children were advertised to
be given away in Boston, and were sold by the pound as was other
merchandise. Samuel Pewter advertised in the Weekly Rehearsal in 1737
that he would sell horses for ten shillings pay if the horse sale were
accomplished, and five shillings if he endeavored to sell and could not;
and for negroes '_sixpence a pound_ on all he sells, and a reasonable
price if he does not sell.'"[223]
The Dutch of New Netherlands had negro slaves but it would seem they
differed from the English colonists in that they treated their slaves
with kindness. Masters were placed under bonds and they were not
permitted to whip their slaves without authorization from the
government.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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