Episode 139: Andrés Reséndez, The Other Slavery: Indian Enslavement in the Americas

by Liz CovartJune 20, 2017

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In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. He also played a central role in the European adoption of Indian or Native American slavery.

When we think of slavery in early America, we often think of the practice of African and African-American chattel slavery. However, that system of slavery wasn’t the only system of slavery that existed in North America. Systems of Indian slavery existed too. In fact, Indians remained enslaved long after the 13th Amendment abolished African-American slavery in 1865.

In this episode, Andrés Reséndez, a professor of history at the University of California, Davis and author of The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in Americas, leads us on an investigation of this “other” form of American slavery.

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

Andrés Reséndez, a professor of history at the University of California, Davis and author of The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in Americas, leads us on an investigation of this “other” form of American slavery.

During our investigation, Andrés reveals how and when the practice of Indian slavery started; Details about Indian slavery and the role It played in the Mexican Silver Rush and the Pubelo Revolt of 1680; And what happened when Indian slavery became a United States institution after the Mexican-American War in 1848.

What You’ll Discover

The origins of Indian slavery
How Europeans came to practice Indian slavery
Relationship between Indian slavery and African slavery
Christopher Columbus and the European adoption of Indian slavery
Native American slaves in Spain
Differences between practices of Indian slavery in Europe and Indian slavery in North America
Spain’s reliance on Indian rather than African slavery
The role enslaved Indian laborers played in the Spanish Silver Rush in Mexico
The Spanish Conquest of New Mexico
The Spanish mission system and Indian slavery
The Pueblo Revolt of 1680
Indian slavery as a United States problem and institution
How Indian slavery ended
How Andrés researched Indian slavery

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Time Warp Question

In your opinion, what might have happened if Columbus had not negotiated the Capitulations of Santa Fe in 1492? Would Indian slavery have developed if Columbus had not been economically motivated to begin the practice?