British Colonial Thoughts on Slavery

British Colonial Thoughts on Slavery

Consider the following three documents in the book concerning slavery in the British North American colonies:
1. Germantown Quaker Meeting, “Reasons Why We Are Against the Traffic of Men-Body” (1688), p. S3-7
2. Boston News-Letter, Editorial Favoring Indentured Servitude over Slavery (1706), p. S4-8
3. Benjamin Franklin, Excerpts from “Observations on the Increase of Mankind” (1751), p. S5-5
What do these documents tell us about the evolution of British colonial thoughts and attitudes about slavery?
Analyzing historical documents is as much about interpreting what they are explicitly saying as well as what they are implying, or “reading between the lines.” Think about the authors’ backgrounds and how they influence their positions.
Though you are considering each document, you need to have an overarching thesis in your first paragraph, a statement that explains your argument clearly. If you are unclear on how to craft a thesis, please come and see me.
Also, be sure you are using to historical examples to support your argument—if you think one of the points is weak, explain why and use evidence to prove you are correct. Evidence can come from the textbook or from lecture notes. If you want to use an outside source, be sure to check with me to be sure it is ok.
The paper should be 4-5 pages have a cover page with the paper title (please come up with something interesting), your name, and the date. This allows for the first page of your paper to be a full page without space taken up at the top by anything unnecessary. It should be formatted with one-inch margins and be double-spaced. The font should be Times New Roman, 12-point. Citations should be in the Chicago style – use the notes and bibliography format, not the author-date format.
The paper is due Monday Oct. 15 at the beginning of class.