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James Horn: Jamestown and the Forging of American democracy

Essay Instructions:

Before starting your paper, if you have not already done so, read the module on “Writing Assignments Overview and Policies.”
In 1619: Jamestown and the Forging of American Democracy, James Horn poses this question:
“Did slavery and racial prejudice gradually evolve in Virginia during the half century following the arrival of the Angolans, or did de facto enslavement of Africans begin in 1619?”
While Horn argues that racial slavery began in 1619, Taylor contends this was “not predetermined but a product of colonization,” which follows closely to Bailyn’s claim that racial slavery had “no prior design.”
This assignment asks you to take a side in the debate. To do so, you will have to carefully evaluate each author’s claims and evidence, pointing out their relative strengths and weaknesses, in support of your argument.
Conclude your paper with some broader implications of race and the founding of American democracy.
Support your argument with specific evidence from class readings only. Be sure to include a separate works cited page at the end of your paper (this page does not count as the total length of your paper).
Upload your paper (file name: Last Name_Paper_1) as a MS Word attachment through Canvas.
Contact me if you have any questions regarding this assignment.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Did Racial Prejudice Start in 1619?
James Horn: Jamestown and the Forging of American democracy
‘Racial slavery began in 1619’
Horns speaks of two events with happened simultaneously and shaped American history altogether; A gathering of the general assembly and the arrival of a buttered privateer. It was carrying the first shipment of African slaves a few weeks later. According to his well-narrated account of the happening in history, Virginia is where slavery and freedom were born at the same place and time in history (Horn 85). He provides evidence to show that in the mid-sixteenth century Africans were already slaves and mentions several Americans and British who profited from this business. Horn tells a story of the rise of the Jamestown colony along the banks of the James River in Virginia with a vision to grow and be stable and independent. He also narrates the origin of the first slaves tracing it to the Congo.
There is evidence that Angola is the origin of the first enslaved men who ended up in Virginia. He credits Piracy, for it contributed to the rich history. It was on the rise in the sixteen's and was the only way that Americans could acquire slaves without going all the way to Africa (Horn 86).
According to him, slavery did not start with the European but was deeply embedded in the rich African culture and simply expanded by the Portuguese, who colonized the larger central Africa. Warring political communities captured and enslaved people from their rivals by early 1600; he confirms that the number of slaves sends to America dramatically increased. Horn's strength is in the way he narrates to your understanding of the history of America. His display of evidence to prove the claims made in his works shows richness in history.
Bernard Bailyn: Peopling of Early Americans
'Racial slavery had no prior design.'
Bailyn is the biggest proponent of the development of slavery over time. He attributes the presence of Africans in Virginia to migration and speaks of the meeting that brought the people of Jamestown together. He sees the arrival of Africans as a random occurrence that happened over time. “There numbers rose very slowly as planters gradually started including them in their purchasing orders (Bailyn 174)The need to make their colony stable and independent led to the resolution that the Virginia Company will be in charge of all pieces of land. The initial plan was to look for servants who would work the area under the company. His view is that Africans started appearing in Virginia in small numbers in 1619. They were not from Africa but Barbados and were familiar with European colonies.
The main argument is that by the year 1650, only 350 blacks existed in Virginia. ‘There was no wholesale importation of slaves,’ some came as free men and remained free while others were servants who worked hard to be free. He conforms to Edmund Morgan’s school of thought that all servants enjoyed the same rights and duties and that there is no evidence that blacks received more discipline. Bailyn’s main strength is his perspective on all the new historical material. He brings a unique light that the other...
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