African-Americans and Social Classes in Colonial America

Introduction

African-Americans in Colonial America experienced the United States very differently depending on whether they lived in the North or the South. The John Catherwood letter illuminates many aspects of colonial life, revealing the social relationship between a merchant and a secretary to the Governor in New York State. Finally, an examination of craftsmen, plantation owners, and slaves on a plantation illustrates the three major social classes of Colonial America.

African-Americans in the North and South

The American South of the 17th and 18th centuries was dominated by agriculture. Its climate allowed relatively long growing seasons, and the plantation system was deeply entrenched. This economy was highly dependent on legalized slave labor, meaning that the average African-American living in the South during this period worked chiefly as an agricultural slave. Little regard was given to the family structures supporting enslaved people, as they were treated as property that could be readily bought and sold according to the owner's interests. Slave families were consequently split up and fragmented on a regular basis.

Another consequence of treating African-American slaves as property was their housing in structures more suitable for animals than for humans. African-American slaves were not permitted to read, write, own land, or vote. Their social lives were also severely curtailed: forcibly brought together with other African-Americans from different languages and cultures, they did not readily form cultural ties with one another. Their status as subhuman property meant they were also prevented from freely associating with each other, out of slaveholders' fear of uprisings and escapes. Finally, the religious traditions of African-Americans were severely damaged by the brutal separations and forced groupings of slavery, allowing enslaved people only minimal opportunity to follow their religious practices. Meanwhile, slaveholders actively resisted teaching Christianity to the enslaved, since Christian principles tended to undermine the moral basis of slavery. In sum, the African-American living in Southern Colonial America was severely oppressed and restricted in every essential area of life.

The African-American in Northern Colonial America enjoyed at least some measure of freedom in essential areas of life. Because the North was more industrialized and less dependent on agriculture, fewer African-Americans were needed to support agricultural production. The nature of slavery in the North also tended to be milder than in the South, and many African-Americans were actually indentured servants who could eventually earn their freedom. A strong anti-slavery movement arose in the North, arguing forcefully for the freedom of African-Americans and their treatment according to Christian principles.

As a result, though not treated as equals to White Americans, many African-Americans in the North were able to obtain their freedom and work in occupations also held by white workers — for example, as seaport workers and shop owners. African-Americans in the North were not forcibly separated and regrouped by the demands of slavery, allowing them to more readily maintain their families, cultural traditions, and religions within more culturally cohesive living arrangements. The dominance of Christianity and the ideals it promoted tended to reinforce these freedoms and semi-freedoms, and it also brought Northern African-American communities into Christianity as their primary religion. Consequently, the lifestyle, religious environment, and industrial economy of the Northern colonies allowed African-Americans at least some meaningful freedoms.

The John Catherwood Letter

The John Catherwood letter suggests that Catherwood and Johnson already knew each other through prior dealings. Although they lived in an area of New York State that today might be considered geographically small, Catherwood referred to Johnson's location as "your part of the country," indicating that they viewed the two cities as a considerable distance apart. The letter also reveals that some immigrants came freely from Ireland at a young age, often accompanied by relatives, and sold themselves into indentured servitude for a fixed period of time. In the case of Jane Watson, this young immigrant relied on indentured servitude in order to have food and shelter after arriving in the United States.

Indentured servants were individuals who sold themselves into service to a family or individual for a specified number of years. During that period, the servant was given room and board and possibly the promise of a greater reward at the end of the term. At the conclusion of the contract — often seven years — the indentured servant was released from duty and was frequently given a sum of money or a parcel of land. The letter makes clear that even very young immigrants could enter into such contracts, and that indentured servants were apparently permitted to travel freely between cities during the intervals between contracts, selling themselves into successive periods of servitude.

Jane Watson had worked in Johnson's household and apparently completed her term of servitude successfully, since she was using him as a character reference in order to obtain a new contract. Both Catherwood and Johnson apparently employed indentured servants: Catherwood was secretary to a governor, while Johnson was a merchant, suggesting both were reasonably prosperous and white. In this letter, Catherwood appears to be seeking an indentured servant for the Governor's wife. Notably, the indentured servant had already been contracted before Catherwood thought to inquire about her honesty and behavior, suggesting that contracts were entered into quite freely and that prospective employers relied heavily on references from prior employers.

The social interaction between a merchant and a governor's secretary in the letter is respectful yet direct. Catherwood's request that Johnson "be genuine in it" is curious, as though Johnson might not otherwise give a fully honest account of Jane Watson's character. Despite the letter's formal tone, it contains numerous misspellings, unusual capitalizations, and omitted vowels, suggesting that cordiality was a high priority while consistent spelling and grammar were not — even for the secretary to the Governor of New York State. Catherwood also uses the British spelling "behaviour," a reminder that American English had not yet fully diverged from its British origins at that point in history.

Conclusion

African-Americans in Colonial America experienced the United States very differently depending on whether they lived in the North or the South. The American South of the 17th and 18th centuries was dominated by agricultural life — particularly plantation life — which set the conditions for a large enslaved Black population that was oppressed in every major area of life. Meanwhile, the more industrial North also practiced slavery, but to a lesser extent and with a higher proportion of indentured servants, which allowed greater freedoms in basic areas of life and, in some cases, the possibility of becoming fully free.

The John Catherwood letter illuminates many aspects of colonial life, including the social status of the two correspondents, patterns of immigration, and the practice of indentured servitude. Finally, the examination of craftsmen, plantation owners, and slaves on a plantation illustrates the three major classes in Colonial America: craftsmen in the middle class, plantation owners in the gentry class, and slaves in the lowest class.