The Planters of Colonial Virginia

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

32507

Title

The Planters of Colonial Virginia

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Thomas J. Wertenbaker's historical analysis reveals how the importation of enslaved Africans dismantled Virginia's independent yeoman class, transforming a land of prosperous small farmers into one dominated by slaveholders and poverty.

Summary up to 500 words

In 'The Planters of Colonial Virginia,' Thomas J. Wertenbaker chronicles the profound economic and social transformation of the colony from a haven for independent immigrants to a society defined by slavery. Initially, Virginia offered abundant opportunity; cheap land and high wages allowed freed indentured servants to become prosperous yeomen who owned their own farms and controlled local politics. These small farmers cultivated tobacco with their own hands, enjoying a sense of independence and dignity that shaped the colony's democratic character. However, as tobacco production expanded, market saturation drove prices down, threatening the livelihoods of these independent farmers. Wealthy neighbors responded by importing enslaved Africans, whose labor was cheaper than that of white servants or free men. Wertenbaker argues this shift was a 'great crime' that systematically undermined the yeoman class. As small planters acquired slaves to survive economically, they joined the ranks of slaveholders, while those who could not afford the transition sank into poverty or fled to the frontier. The book details how this transformation eroded Virginia's social fabric, replacing a community of self-respecting independent workers with a rigid hierarchy of masters and enslaved people. Wertenbaker highlights that before the end of the colonial period, a full fifty percent of slaveholders owned only one to five slaves, indicating that the small farmer often led newly acquired slaves from the auction block to his plantation as an act of self-preservation rather than moral conviction. This economic necessity effectively deprived white men of their American birthright—the high return for their labor. Ultimately, the importation of slaves transformed Virginia and the South from a land of hard-working, self-respecting yeomen into a land dominated by slaves and slaveholders. Wertenbaker emphasizes that while the wrong done to enslaved people has been universally condemned, the devastating impact on the white population has attracted less attention. By undermining the yeoman class, the introduction of slavery fundamentally altered the character of American history, ending an era where the promise of the New World was realized through individual effort and independence.

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Categories

• History
• Slavery