While slavery grew exponentially in the South with large-scale plantations and agricultural operations, slavery in New England was different. Most of those enslaved in the North did not live in large communities, as they did in the mid-Atlantic colonies and the South. Those Southern economies depended upon people enslaved at plantations to provide labor and keep the massive tobacco and rice farms running. But without the same rise in plantations in New England, it was more typical to have one or two enslaved people attached to a household, business, or small farm. In New England, it was common for individual enslaved people to learn specialized skills and crafts due to the area’s more varied economy. Ministers, doctors, tradesmen, and merchants also used enslaved labor to work alongside them and run their households. As in the South, enslaved men were frequently forced into heavy or farm labor. Enslaved women were frequently forced to work as household servants, whereas in the South women often performed agricultural work.New England’s Forced Laborers: the Enslaved, Indentured Servants, and Native Americans Part of the reason slavery evolved differently in New England than in the middle and southern colonies was the culture of indentured servitude. As a carryover from English practice, indentured servants were the original standard for forced labor in New England and middle colonies like Pennsylvania and Delaware. These indentured servants were people voluntarily working off debts, usually signing a contract to perform slave-level labor for four to seven years. Historians estimate that more than half of the original population of the American colonies was brought over as indentured servants.New England colonies were also slower to start accepting African slavery in general—possibly because there were local alternatives to enslaved Africans. Early in New England’s history, a different kind of human trafficking emerged: enslaving and shipping local Native Americans to the West Indies. This kind of slavery was limited compared to the number of enslaved Africans and indentured servants that eventually came to New England, but exporting and enslaving these native people was an undeniable part of early New England human trafficking.Enslaved Africans quickly replaced indentured servants on plantations in Virginia, Maryland, and other Southern colonies, but in New England, imported enslaved people were initially given the same status as indentured servants. This changed in 1641, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony passed laws for enslaved people differentiating enslaved labor from the indentured servants’ contract labor, which took away the enslaved’s rights. Still, the New England colonies began to show differences in their approaches to slavery, even as slavery became more common in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island in the 18th century. The colonial government in Rhode Island—which had the largest enslaved population by the 1700s—tried, though ultimately failed, to enforce laws that gave the enslaved the same rights as indentured servants and set enslaved individuals free after 10 years of service. Although human trafficking continued to flourish throughout the 1700s, these first moves to break up human trafficking foreshadowed what was to come in the New England colonies.Becoming the “Free North” The use of slavery throughout the colonies (particularly the southern ones) continued to grow throughout the 18th century, but as the colonies moved closer to revolution against England, there was a growing trend of questioning slavery and its practices in New England. The number of people freed from bondage in New England grew, as the enslaved who fought in the Revolutionary War (on both sides) were offered freedom.Religious societies like the Quakers (who believed that slavery was sinful and amoral) began the first stirrings of anti-slavery movements in New England. These early movements would later form the backbone of the 19th century abolitionist movements that would spread throughout the United States. New England governments began to step in as well, outlawing active human trafficking in the Connecticut and Rhode Island colonies. However, few colonial leaders wanted a full repeal of slavery at the time. It was not until the last decades of the 18th century that the former New England colonies began the long process of outlawing slavery via emancipation statutes. These were "gradual emancipation" laws, however, designed to phase out the institution over many years. Though the enslaved populations dwindled over time after these laws were passed, enslaved people were still legally held for decades in some northern states. Despite passage of these gradual emancipation laws in 1784, Rhode Island and Connecticut didn't free their last enslaved people until the 1840s.
Section 4: Sample Selected-Response Questions |
Economic Indicators | |
---|---|
Unemployment rate | 9.6% |
GDP growth rate | −4.2% |
Inflation rate | 2.9% |
39. The economy of the country described in the table is undergoing which stage of the business cycle?
- Expansion
- Peak
- Recovery
- Recession
Competency 021—(Structure and Operation of the U.S. Free Enterprise System): The teacher understands the structure and operation of the U.S. free enterprise system; the role of government, business, consumers and labor in the system; and basic concepts of consumer economics.
40. Which of the following is the main incentive for entrepreneurs to take risks to start a business?
- Profits
- Voluntary exchange
- Specialization
- Competition
41. Assume that the demand for soft drinks is relatively inelastic. If the government imposes a per-unit tax on the sale of soft drinks, which of the following correctly identifies how the tax will affect the quantity demanded in the market and who will pay the largest portion of the tax?
Quantity Demanded | Party that Pays Largest Portion Of tax |
---|---|
A. Will decrease | Sellers |
B. Will decrease | Buyers |
C. Will increase | Buyers |
D. Will increase | Sellers |
Competency 022—(Science, Technology and Society): The teacher understands major scientific and mathematical discoveries and technological innovations and the societal significance of these discoveries and innovations.
42. President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act in 1956, which he promoted as a benefit to national defense. The act also had the benefit of promoting the national goal of
- price stability.
- full employment.
- economic freedom.
- economic efficiency.
43. A geography teacher is most likely to use the term "cultural convergence" when discussing
- contact and interaction between different cultures.
- restrictions on outside influence on a culture.
- the process by which values are transmitted across generations.
- the beliefs and values that distinguish a group of people.
Competency 025—(Social Studies Research): The teacher understands social science and historical research methods, including procedures for formulating research questions and for organizing, analyzing, evaluating and reporting information.
44. A historian studying the impact of the Civil War on American society is most likely to ask which of the following research questions?
- How many Union soldiers died at the Battle of Gettysburg?
- How would Northern society have changed if the South had won the war?
- How did the South’s defeat shape the reconstruction of the Union?
- Was Abraham Lincoln a better commander in chief than Jefferson Davis?
45. Students benefit from constructing and using population pyramids to
- determine the social hierarchy of ancient civilizations.
- predict the future need for human services in a nation.
- analyze the changing racial and ethnic composition of select nations.
- compare and contrast different forms of government.
46. Which of the following documents is considered a secondary source?
- The Journal of American History
- The United States census
- Plato’s Republic
- The Treaty of Versailles
47. A researcher is examining students’ study habits and their impact on academic performance. To identify the relationship between time spent studying outside class and final exam score, a researcher is mostly likely to employ which of the following research designs?
- Naturalistic observation
- Case study
- Correlational study
- Longitudinal study
Competency 026—(Social Studies Instruction and Assessment): The teacher understands the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) in social studies; knows how to plan and implement effective social studies instruction, including helping students make interdisciplinary connections and develop relevant reading skills; and knows procedures for assessing students’ progress and needs in social studies.
48. Which of the following activities best encourages reflective thinking by students participating in a mock election in their civics class?
- Predicting the outcome of the election using polling data
- Writing a journal entry describing the reasons behind their vote
- Making a campaign poster in support of a candidate
- Researching the outcomes of past presidential elections