In tracing the origins of slavery or racism in either sense, one must keep in mind that neither is an event or circumstance that occurred in North America in the 17th through 19th centuries. We must examine slavery as an institution and racism as a mentality defined by the oppressor, independent to the oppressed. Europeans who came to North America in the 17th century were predisposed to the institution of slavery. Slavery had long since been a proactive institution in South America. Africans were also slaves in Europe before 1619. Slave trades that preceded the Trans-Atlantic slave trade also show evidence that there were black slaves in Europe from many centuries. Therefore, Europeans never arrived in the colonies with the thought that slavery was not a natural human institution, or that blacks were equal to them and deserving of rights. The racist views that derived from European's predisposed bias against blacks was a justification the race based slavery that existed in North American beginning in the 17th century.

Whites had a negative proclivity towards blacks in pre-colonial times. In his book, The Write Man's Burden: Historical Origins of Slavery in the Uni

Thus said I must conclude that racism preceded slavery in the British colonies. Blacks may have been treated slightly better without slave codes, and other controlling mechanisms, before the 17th century; but that was because there were not as many blacks in North American at that time to pose a "threat" to whites. This was also before the massive deportations from African after slavery became a solely black institution. That also does not show that whites felt any different toward blacks. I have shown that they were already predisposed to a racist sentiment against blacks before the 17th century.

ted States, Winthrop Jordan describes Europeans reactions towards contact with blacks. However he fails to note that there emphasis on viewing blacks as savage, and heathenish, etc, were the very differences between Europeans and Africans, that would be to Europeans, a justifications for the institution of race based slavery. "Unquestionably, signs of European prejudice and discrimination toward Indians and Africans had been present in the English colonies from the start. Burt the poisonous pattern of mistrust and abuse became widespread and central within the culture only after 1700, as race slavery rapidly expanded." In order to create a massive institution such as slavery that oppresses any people, the oppressor must view the oppressed as less than human, less deserving of human rights. Olaudah Equiano writes, in his slave narrative The Life of Olaudah Equiano, "does not slavery itself depress the mind, and extinguish all fire, and every noble sentiment?"

We must also not let t

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Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)