Historic Replicas

Slavery in America has a long and tumultuous history.  From the arrival of the first slaves in 1619 to the firing of the last Civil War rifle and the passing of the 13th Amendment in 1865, it was the dominant American cultural institution for over 250 years.  And while slavery officially ended with that noble act, a nation and her people can’t simply sign a piece of paper and change their national character overnight. America’s age of oppression was over, but it had a lasting impact on race relations and African American life throughout the 20th century, and continues to affect our society. 

Africans arrived in the Americas via the Atlantic slave trade, which had been flourishing since the 1500’s.  All told, between 9 and 12 million Africans were kidnapped and forced into bondage.  It’s hard to imagine in a more enlightened time, but to European colonists, slavery was simply the natural order of things.  It was how nations built empires and strong men became rich.  Today, Americans see their nation as a beacon of freedom and democracy in a world that still bears witness to a great deal of cruelty and oppression.  Without slaves, though, the colonization of the Americas may not have even been possible.  There were no historical weapons were used to slave them, it was done through mental and emotional abuse.  For all the promise of adventure and glory, overseas colonies were basically about money, a quest for gold or a way to produce goods and resources that could be sold to other nations.  They were a risky proposition at best, fraught with danger and unlikely to turn a profit for several years. Who knows if the Europeans would have even attempted it without slaves to do the work for free?