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Northern Profits from Slavery

Many students think of slavery as only a southern phenomenon, but in fact slavery was integrated into the economies of all the colonies (and later, states). Enslaved people worked in northern as well as southern colonies, in agricultural as well as domestic and urban settings. Many grew and processed crops that were bought and used by all levels of colonial society and sold for export. And before the United States ended the importation of slaves in 1808, the slave trade provided a particular boon for the Northeast. Free and enslaved Americans built ships, provided naval supplies, and made products that were traded for enslaved people in Africa. Insurance agents and financiers backed slavers' journeys. The slave trade was part of a triangular trade route that was profitable for many Americans, north and south. Learn more in this article.

Join us March 1 at noon Eastern for a live webcast! In American Ideals: Steadfast Spirits, eighteenth-century woman Lydia Broadnax discusses with modern historians her rise from slave to business owner and how African American women have gained rights over the centuries. Chat with us and join the discussion. #connectcw

Teaching Strategy: The Slave Trade in the Colonial Economy

In the eighteenth century, just like today, the ocean was crowded with ships transporting goods from one continent to another. While some carried sugar, rum, guns, and an array of other trade goods, others carried human cargo from Africa. While it is well known that white Americans in the southern colonies (and later, states) enjoyed great economic benefits from slavery, it is less well known that even in the northern colonies where there were far fewer slaves, white Americans still benefited from this inhumane system. In this lesson, students will explore these connections between slavery and products across the colonies.

Colonial Williamsburg Teaching Resources for Your Classroom

Colonial Williamsburg offers a variety of quality American history instructional materials, including:

• Slave's Bag Hands-on History Kit
• Caeser's Story Book, Gr. 4–6
• No Master Over Me DVD

Check out our specials, including 50% off lesson units!

Quotation of the Month

"WEDNESDAY AUGUST 22. IN CONVENTION. Art VII sect 4. [1, 2] resumed. Mr. SHERMAN was for leaving the clause as it stands. He disapproved of the slave trade; yet as the States were now possessed of the right to import slaves, as the public good did not require it to be taken from them, & as it was expedient to have as few objections as possible to the proposed scheme of Government, he thought it best to leave the matter as we find it. He observed that the abolition of Slavery seemed to be going on in the U. S. & that the good sense of the several States would probably by degrees compleat it. He urged on the Convention the necessity of despatching its business. "

—James Madison's notes on the debates in the federal convention of 1787

Colonial Williamsburg for Teachers

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United States Distance Learning Association, 2010

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