Most early Americans practiced chattel slavery: the practice of treating slaves as property that people could buy, sell, trade, and use as they would draught animals or real estate.
But, did you know that some early Americans practiced a different type of slavery?
Today, we investigate the practice of Native American or indigenous slavery, a little-known aspect of early American history, with Brett Rushforth, author of Bonds of Alliance: Indigenous and Atlantic Slaveries in New France.
About the Show
Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.
It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.
Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.
Episode Summary
In this episode, Brett Rushforth, an Associate Professor of History at the College of William and Mary and author of Bonds of Alliance: Indigenous and Atlantic Slaveries in New France, leads us on an exploration of a little-known aspect of early American history: the practice of Native American slavery.
During our investigation, Brett reveals how Native Americans practiced slavery and how the colonists of New France came to adopt and modify their practices; The day-to-day lives of Native American slaves; And, how Native American slavery controlled French expansion in North America.
What You’ll Discover
- The William and Mary Quarterly and its book reviews
- How slavery in New France differed from slavery in British North America and the French Caribbean
- Geography of New France
- Native American peoples who lived in New France
- How Native American peoples practiced slavery
- How Native Americans incorporated slaves into their communities
- Day-to-day lives of Native American slaves
- How New France residents came to practice slavery and own Native American slaves
- How Native American slavery controlled French expansion in North America
- Roles Native American slaves played in French-Native American diplomacy
- How interactions between Native Americans and French colonists influenced how each group practiced of slavery
- Whether the people of New France tried to adopt African and African-American chattel slavery
- How Brett uncovered the stories of Native American slaves
- Stories of Native American slaves
Links to People, Places, and Publications
- Brett Rushforth
- Brett’s College of William and Mary webpage
- Brett on Twitter: @brettrushforth
- The William and Mary Quarterly
- Bonds of Alliance: Indigenous and Atlantic Slaveries in New France
- Colonial North America and the Atlantic World: A History in Documents
- Christopher Hodson, The Acadian Diaspora: An Eighteenth-Century History
Time Warp Question
In your opinion what might have happened if the Native American practice of slavery had not been a part of how Native peoples’ conducted diplomacy with the French? Would the colonists of New France have practiced Native American slavery or slavery at all?
Questions, Comments, Suggestions
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