New England Bound is a social-historical book written by Wendy Warren in 2016. The book is about slavery and colonization in the period between 1600 and 1775. Warren’s main argument is that the growth of European colonies in North America was closely interconnected to slavery. Slavery existed in New England way before the slave trade but worsened with accelerating patterns of transatlantic trade in the mid-17th century. The purpose of the book is to narrate the happenings during slavery and colonization in New England. Although it was there before colonization, slavery was heightened by the need for farm workers implemented by the transatlantic slave trade.
Wendy Warren’s book is a wonderful reflection of the rehabilitation of the lives of the enslaved black community and indigenous tribes in the seventeenth century. The strength of this literary work is the fact that it provides a justification for the relationship between the expansion of the northern colonies and the slave trade in the Atlantic. Moreover, the author shows the whole underside of the slave trade, where Indians were sold as a commodity into slavery. Warren’s literary source is imbued with a desire for freedom of rights and actions. Thus, this work perfectly shows the history of American slavery and all the events that took place at that time.
Slavery and the colonization of American New England seemed coincidental but are explained by various factors. The booming slavery trade was impacted by the need for farmworkers in the European colonies. According to Warren, the colonies needed slaves to grow staple crops including rice, tobacco, sugar, and the development of forms of wealth in minerals (1). The Europeans introduced the farming culture in their colonies thus creating a demand for casual workers which would eventually be met by slaves.
Before the African slave trade in the region, the English enslaved the Indians. The Indians worked in the English homes but upon the arrival of the Africans, the Indians were swapped in a trade to West Indies (Warren 5). Slave trade as enabled by the Atlantic world later became an acceptable reality for the slaves and the colonials. Puritanism was practiced by the English but was later deemed not enough by the colonials. Major actors including Samuel Maverick, Cotton Mather, and John Winthrop led to the realization of colonization. The fact that slavery existed even before the slave trade in America shows the depth of its roots. Although the process of ending slavery aspects in the country has so far been positive, there is still so much to learn and apply. According to Warren, the success of English trade and the formation of colonies was successful due to the existence of slaves in the West Indies (20). The colonists acquired the Indian slaves to build their colonies even before farming. Therefore, slavery was a core factor determining the success of colonization.
African slave trade existed before but was worsened by the development of the Atlantic slave trade. Slavery institutions in America existed and developed differently that it was not very conspicuous. However, when the slave trade began, slavery in America became a newly embraced culture. The Americans slowly accepted slavery, and so did the Africa slaves. African slavery existed before the slave trade and although our forefathers may not have realized, fighting the end of slave trade slavery was a move to end an old tragic system.
In second chapter the author discusses how New England’s economy rapidly grew due to the availability of Indian and African slaves. Colonists used free labor to create wealth through farming and mineral productions. Being a slave in the West Indies was devastating enough to be viewed as a death sentence. What resonated with me is that to understand the English settlement in North America clearly, one has to understand the difference between a “slave society” and a “society with slaves” (Warren 51). The New England society had accepted slavery, thus turning their community into a slave society.
Colonists displaced Indians from Plymouth Colony to develop New England. Before colonization, Indians occupied Plymouth Colony and were divided into at least five language groups. However, when the Europeans came, they chased them from their land by selling them as slaves to West Indies and later acquiring them as slaves in their lands. The English brought African slaves to work in New England to create a hostile environment for the Indians in the region.
Although the colonists also enslaved some Native Americans, that stopped upon the arrival of African slaves. Native Americans would be viewed as superior to the Africans, and the English would later share slaves with the Americans. However, contrary to the myth that the Native Americans asked for help from the colonists, the English chose to help them. I resonate with how the colonists and all mistreated Indians because the English wanted to replace Indians from their land.
Therefore, author states that the development of New England made slavery more open. After the slave trade became conspicuous, Massachusetts Bay Colony promised slave freedom should the slaves make enough profits through labor and were to be included in wills and probates. However, most colonists never signed the agreement as they needed to keep free labor. Enslaved women and girls whose labor was considered most important provided domestic labor.
Colonists would lend or rent slaves but they never intended to set slaves free. According to Warren, the ability to speak a foreign language gave the colonists an advantage over the slaves (136). The slaves could not understand the terms of the agreement even when presented to them, thus they were highly manipulated. I resonate with how slaves protected their owners in the hope of freedom.
In chapter five Warren how slaves grew intimate with fellow slaves and their owners, too, leading to the birth of many children. Slave children born in America would be accessible only when their mothers were free. Christians who fornicated with the slaves would pay double fines, especially English (Warren 156). It was a crime for a slave to create a family to increase the slave population. Several regulations prohibited slave relationships, but that did not hold for long. I also thought it was unfair to punish women for circumstances like getting pregnant that they cannot control, especially in the absence of medical care.
The fear of slave conspiracy and the need to punish crimes led to the development of many laws and regulations. Massachusetts formed a law that prohibited people from committing suicide and that self-murder people would be buried on the road except for slaves who would not be given a burial. The tough rules were to prevent the slaves from conspiring to run away from the country. The punishment for breaking such regulations was severe physical punishment and humiliation. It is interesting how that English person, though not an officer of the law had the power to arrest Negroes whenever they broke the law.
The introduction for slave trade abolition saw to solving of Adam’s case. Sewall, in 1700 wrote about the need to abolish the slave trade amongst Africans. Warren Sewall criticized the idea of legitimizing slavery and termed it unlawful (237). Sewall might have been slow to adjust to modern civilization but still was against the exploitation of slaves. The English developed a fear of losing control of slaves, so they tightened the ruling laws to minimize the freedom of speech for the Negroes. What resonated for me was the idea of creating more strict laws to continue enslaving the Negroes.
Wendy Warren’s book is a wonderful reflection of the rehabilitation of the lives of the enslaved black community and indigenous tribes in the seventeenth century. The strength of this literary work is the fact that it provides a justification for the relationship between the expansion of the northern colonies and the slave trade in the Atlantic. Moreover, the author shows the whole underside of the slave trade, where Indians were sold as a commodity into slavery. Warren’s literary source is imbued with a desire for freedom of rights and actions. Thus, this work perfectly shows the history of American slavery and all the events that took place at that time. The main recommendation for reading this book is the willingness to soberly evaluate the information given in it and conduct a survey to better understand the problem being raised.
Work Cited
Warren, Wendy. New England Bound: Slavery and Colonization in Early America. WW Norton & Company, 2016.