Racism and slavery have always been a problem in the United States. In the United States, one’s race defines one’s living position. Because of their skin color, African Americans were forced into slavery. Therefore, slavery and racism in the United States were linked by the fact that a person’s race would determine whether one would be entitled to slavery or not. The government misled white men and women to think that slavery and racism were normal rather than the other way around. Since slavery brought the white guys in power more money and the government saw that it wasn’t costing them anything, they imposed many laws against slavery and racism to make sure it did not happen again. The people of color were severely disadvantaged by the government and suffered significantly. The government would impose heavier penalties on persons of color for no apparent reason.
European colonists’ usage of “white” to refer to individuals who resembled themselves became increasingly associated with the terms race and slavery in the American colonies. These elites defined blacks and “white” males as two distinct groups. As a result of the social innovations, many African-descended people were enslaved for centuries by the European colonists and their descendants. Racism and racial prejudice have been ingrained in American society since its inception. In history, the “white” racial identity has changed. When the term was first used, it solely applied to persons from the Anglo-Saxon region. As emancipation and immigration increased the number of people of color in the United States, the definition of “white” expanded to include more individuals.
Plantation owners exploited African American slaves to make money. Clearing ground, transplanting seedlings, hoeing the fields and harvesting tobacco for shipping required thousands of slaves. Slave traffickers also made money by selling slaves to tobacco growers who could afford to buy them. South Carolina’s climate was comparable to Sierra Leone’s, making slaves from those regions highly sought after and costly. Rice exports to England bolstered the economies of all the colonies.
Individuals who were physically strong and capable of performing the arduous tasks expected of them were sought after by the slave traders. Religion was not a factor for African Americans as people in the United States and Europe saw African religions and behaviors as superstitious. They considered African faith idolatry and heathenry that lacked the fundamental customary religions, such as religious texts, that were absent from their culture. As a result, one’s masculinity would be considered as one would be more productive than slaves who appeared less muscular. The methods of slavery were very beneficial to white people. The colonialists did not consider religious views; instead, they indoctrinated European religious ideas into the slave population. Slavery was justified via religion, which served to demonstrate that slavery was not a horrible thing. As a result, the slaves were led to believe that religion was a means to achieving their liberation.
When it came to selecting slaves, one’s religious views were never taken into consideration; instead, one’s capacity to provide adequate work for the white farms was considered. Some African American religious traditions were in opposition to the slavery practices that white people carried out. As a result, whites began to assume that the African Americans’ religious convictions would cause them to turn against them, despite the religion promoting equality. Because of this, the practice of African American religion among the slaves was condemned by the whites, who feared that it would corrupt the slaves’ brains.