Finally, because his slavery was racially defined, his
plight was incurable. Although he might flee from slavery, he
could not escape his race.
North American and South American Slavery
Slavery, as it existed in British North America, contained
interesting points of comparison and contrast with the slave
system existing in Portuguese and Spanish South America. Although
both institutions were geared to the needs of capitalistic
agriculture, the rights and privileges of the South American
planter were restricted and challenged at many points by the
traditional powers the Crown and the Church. On one hand,
capitalism, unimpeded by other powerful institutions, created a
closed slave system which regimented the totality of the slave's
life. On the other hand, through the clash of competing
institutions, the slave as been left with a little opportunity in
which he could develop as a person.
In the seventeenth century, while the British colonies were being
established in North America and their slave system was being
created, the English Crown underwent a series of severe shocks
including two revolutions.
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