Differences in the Treatment of African Americans in Various Colonies
New England
In the American colonies, the treatment of African Americans varied greatly depending on the region, authorities’ principles, slavery traditions, and economic conditions. Thus, in New England, African Americans were actively used as servants and laborers on farms. However, there was also a tendency to provide African Americans in New England with more rights and privileges than in other parts of America (Kendi and Blain 97-100). For example, some African Americans in New England were able to buy land, marry, and later buy their freedom.
Chesapeake
In the Middle Colonies, the treatment of colored people was similar to that in New England, but African Americans had fewer privileges, and they usually worked as artisans and servants. In Chesapeake (Virginia and Maryland), the attitude towards African Americans differed, and it was extremely brutal because of the spread of slavery in the region. Thus, colored people worked at tobacco and rice plantations, suffered from abuse, and had no right to vote.
Lower South
In the Lower South, African Americans were primarily treated as in the Chesapeake; they worked at cotton plantations, but there were also cases when they were freed from slavery, but they usually had no opportunity to buy land (Kendi and Blain 97-100). In Chesapeake and the Lower South, slaves were not allowed to receive education and did not have the same rights enjoyed by White Americans.
Similarities in the Treatment of African Americans
There were some common trends in the treatment of African Americans in different colonies, for example, the focus on physical labor, the absence of rights, and restrictions on freedom. However, depending on the region, the conditions differed from each other.
In New England, African Americans were given more rights and privileges compared to other parts of America. Thus, in the Middle Colonies, African Americans were granted more insignificant privileges than in New England, and in the Chesapeake and the Lower South, the conditions for Blacks were the worst.
Work Cited
Kendi, Ibram X., and Keisha N. Blain, editors. Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America 1619-2019. Random House, 2021.