The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America 1638-1870 | Page 6

of immigration reduced this
disproportion, but Negroes continued to be imported in such numbers
as to afford considerable revenue from a moderate duty on them. About

the time when the Assiento was signed, the slave-trade so increased
that, scarcely a year after the consummation of that momentous
agreement, two heavy duty acts were passed, because "the number of
Negroes do extremely increase in this Province, and through the
afflicting providence of God, the white persons do not proportionately
multiply, by reason whereof, the safety of the said Province is greatly
endangered."[11] The trade, however, by reason of the encouragement
abroad and of increased business activity in exporting naval stores at
home, suffered scarcely any check, although repeated acts, reciting the
danger incident to a "great importation of Negroes," were passed,
laying high duties.[12] Finally, in 1717, an additional duty of £40,[13]
although due in depreciated currency, succeeded so nearly in stopping
the trade that, two years later, all existing duties were repealed and one
of £10 substituted.[14] This continued during the time of resistance to
the proprietary government, but by 1734 the importation had again
reached large proportions. "We must therefore beg leave," the colonists
write in that year, "to inform your Majesty, that, amidst our other
perilous circumstances, we are subject to many intestine dangers from
the great number of negroes that are now among us, who amount at
least to twenty-two thousand persons, and are three to one of all your
Majesty's white subjects in this province. Insurrections against us have
been often attempted."[15] In 1740 an insurrection under a slave, Cato,
at Stono, caused such widespread alarm that a prohibitory duty of £100
was immediately laid.[16] Importation was again checked; but in 1751
the colony sought to devise a plan whereby the slightly restricted
immigration of Negroes should provide a fund to encourage the
importation of white servants, "to prevent the mischiefs that may be
attended by the great importation of negroes into this Province."[17]
Many white servants were thus encouraged to settle in the colony; but
so much larger was the influx of black slaves that the colony, in 1760,
totally prohibited the slave-trade. This act was promptly disallowed by
the Privy Council and the governor reprimanded;[18] but the colony
declared that "an importation of negroes, equal in number to what have
been imported of late years, may prove of the most dangerous
consequence in many respects to this Province, and the best way to
obviate such danger will be by imposing such an additional duty upon
them as may totally prevent the evils."[19] A prohibitive duty of £100

was accordingly imposed in 1764.[20] This duty probably continued
until the Revolution.
The war made a great change in the situation. It has been computed by
good judges that, between the years 1775 and 1783, the State of South
Carolina lost twenty-five thousand Negroes, by actual hostilities,
plunder of the British, runaways, etc. After the war the trade quickly
revived, and considerable revenue was raised from duty acts until 1787,
when by act and ordinance the slave-trade was totally prohibited.[21]
This prohibition, by renewals from time to time, lasted until 1803.
6. Restrictions in North Carolina. In early times there were few slaves
in North Carolina;[22] this fact, together with the troubled and
turbulent state of affairs during the early colonial period, did not
necessitate the adoption of any settled policy toward slavery or the
slave-trade. Later the slave-trade to the colony increased; but there is
no evidence of any effort to restrict or in any way regulate it before
1786, when it was declared that "the importation of slaves into this
State is productive of evil consequences and highly impolitic,"[23] and
a prohibitive duty was laid on them.
7. Restrictions in Virginia.[24] Next to South Carolina, Virginia had
probably the largest slave-trade. Her situation, however, differed
considerably from that of her Southern neighbor. The climate, the
staple tobacco crop, and the society of Virginia were favorable to a
system of domestic slavery, but one which tended to develop into a
patriarchal serfdom rather than into a slave-consuming industrial
hierarchy. The labor required by the tobacco crop was less unhealthy
than that connected with the rice crop, and the Virginians were, perhaps,
on a somewhat higher moral plane than the Carolinians. There was
consequently no such insatiable demand for slaves in the larger colony.
On the other hand, the power of the Virginia executive was peculiarly
strong, and it was not possible here to thwart the slave-trade policy of
the home government as easily as elsewhere.
Considering all these circumstances, it is somewhat difficult to
determine just what was the attitude of the early Virginians toward the
slave-trade. There is evidence, however, to show that although they

desired the slave-trade, the rate at which the Negroes were brought in
soon