The discovery of America or its conquest, as they say in scientific circles in the last decade, had different consequences for the cultures of the planet. The Europeans used the new lands as an opportunity to fulfill their dreams of a golden Eldorado, while the American continent was devastated by European diseases, and the African continent became a harbor of unfree labor, as Europeans pushed millions of Africans into the abyss of slavery (Foner, 2013). Such a clash of cultures and peoples’ histories can be called tragic rather than solemn. The Europeans physically destroyed the inhabitants of two continents and neutralized the significance of the culture of the peoples living there. This paper aims to explain the role race and gender played in the development of British North American colonies in the 17th-18th centuries.
Even though the Europeans persistently pursued their goals of enrichment and had some advantage in the form of relaxation of government regulation of trade and any other activity, being free from the ‘conventions’ of responsibility assumed by the official European states, they inhumanely used representatives of other peoples and cultures without colliding with any legal consequences. Moreover, representatives of the poorer classes fell into labor slavery, no less severe and torturing, legalized through the practices of indentured servitude, and forced labor (Foner, 2013). Given the impunity factor, it is not surprising that women’s and non-European labor were subjected to even more discrimination and injustice. It is important to understand mentioned circumstances when considering the values enshrined in the declaration of independence since this declaration sought to fight not only monarchy and imperialism, but also internal problems such as banditry, labor exploitation, and oligarchic clans.
During colonization, the laws and customs of a Puritan society reigned in Europe, creating a prism through which many Europeans from the poor and uneducated, as well as the upper classes, perceived reality. Therefore, the enslavement of Indians, whose lifestyle was different from the European one, was promoted as an opportunity for them to gain freedom in European values (Foner, 2013). At the same time, slave labor was imposed on Africans openly, and without any euphemistic justification. Moreover, Europeans behaved more brutally with Africans, as they feared uprisings and the physical superiority of this race.
Gender inequality also flourished, since the 17th and 18th centuries were still far from feminist ideas and the emancipation movement. Women predominantly played the role of wives if they belonged to free people, or were slaves. Remarkably, female slaves had more problems and fewer opportunities than male slaves. First, they could be sexually harassed by their masters and have children who automatically became slaves, which was highly encouraged (Dunbar, 2017). Secondly, women had practically no opportunity to escape from slavery, since the way to the north and the hunt for slaves were physical tests that not every man could go through. Indian women predominantly did not participate in the life of a society where Europeans ruled, since Indian villages and tribes desperately resisted invasion and waged constant wars. However, it must be remembered that the Puritan values, which were promoted as liberation from barbarism, were imposed on the captive Indians and affected women as much as men.
White women, even members of the elite, had very few rights compared to men at the time. They did not participate in political life, and could not hold managerial posts. Even the wives of prominent politicians had only an indirect influence on their husbands, although participation and desire to participate in the country’s political life was considered an achievement. John Adams’ wife, Abigail Adams, tried to share with her husband her thoughts about the injustice of the military and asked him to “remember the ladies” and not to “put such unlimited power in the hands of the husbands” (Adams, 1876 p. 149). John Adams reacted mildly and replied that the realities of politics do not yet allow women to come to power, since too many opposing forces can destroy the civilized government and noted that men are only called masters, but are essentially the subjects of their people.
It is noteworthy that the disagreement of his wife and the expression of his own opinion not only amused but also extremely amazed Adams, which indicates the predominant silence of women regarding the affairs of the outside world ruled by men. Of course, the government is hard work, and no one disputes the authority of John Adams, who was probably a very talented politician. However, it is a pity that he did not pay enough attention to the words of his wife, who did not urge him to completely transfer the reins of government to women, but at least give them attention and allow them to express their ideas and realize their will, at least as far as their lives are concerned.
Remarkably, even though labor relations were extremely violent in terms of racial inequality, this situation was minimally compensated for by freedom of religion, which was declared in Jefferson’s Bill of 1779. As the founding fathers hoped that the newly independent state would become a bulwark of the struggle against the monarchy, empire, oligarchy, and the power of the mob, Jefferson created the Bill of 1799 and later it was decided to introduce the right to freedom of religion into the Constitution (Adams, 1876; Ford, 1904). Although the freedoms declared in the documents of independence did not solve the main problems existing in the society of the newly created state, at least the proclaimed values gave hope for a change in circumstances in the future. Unfortunately, historical events did not unfold quite as Jefferson or Adams probably hoped, and inequality, both race and gender, still exists today, albeit in less pronounced forms.
Thus, the role race and gender played in the development of British North American colonies in the 17th-18th centuries were analyzed. Racial discrimination was inherited in the economy of the colonies and the very fact of colonization was based on disrespect for other peoples and used captives as slaves. Moreover, the Europeans created a hitherto unprecedented precedent by basing the entire economy of the new state on the use of slave labor by representatives of a different race. Gender inequality was due to puritanical morals and customs, according to which the man was supposed to be the head of the family, and the woman was the housewife. It is noteworthy that this system of relations was imposed on the free Indians, who had excellent ideas about the methods of farming. As a result, the European way of life and outlook on life has completely replaced any other views and traditions.
References
Adams, C. F. ed., Familiar Letters of John Adams and His Wife Abigail Adams during the Revolution (New York: Hurd and Houghton, 1876), pp. 148-50, 155.
Dunbar, E. A. (2017). Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge. Simon and Schuster.
Foner, E. (2013). Give Me Liberty! An American History: Seagull Fourth Edition (Vol. 1). WW Norton & Company.
Ford, P.L., ed., The Works of Thomas Jefferson (22 vols., New York, 1904-5), vol. 2, pp. 438-41.