The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-06-18
Some Informative Facts About the American Negre

In the early years Of American colonies 50,s90
Ren were exiled here from England and sold into
slavery ranging form a few years to iife The colo.
nists also made slaves of some Indians, but found
them hard to manage The first African slaves were
sold in Virginia in 1919, by Dutch man of-war, in
exchange for provisions. Subsequently Newport and
Bristol R. became centers from which regular raids
on the African coast were made, and vast numbers
of Negroes we're seized and brought here into slavery
Although slavery was forbidden by the consti'
tutions of Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, the
capital for the Rhode Island slave raids was largely
obtained in Boston, and slavery was common IN both
states. The old North Church in Boston still contains
a gallery that was used by the household slaves Of
some Of the families that furnished the capital for the
raids In question. The treatment OF the slaves varied
greatly, depending upon the owners beAevoenee and
the development of the communitys conscience In
1880, in certain American state, Negro who killed
a white man was found by SantJohn Crevecoeur,
confined in cage and left there to be devoured by
the elements and by insects He still living when
Creveeoeur him, although his eyes had been de-
stryed.
The development of slavery southward was due
to the invention of the cotongin, which made cotton
profitable crop, capable of being titled by slave
labor At this time objection to the evangelization
of slaves was raised the ground that baptized
slave might claim freedom as a Christian Slavery
in the North gradually became unprofitable and be-
tween 1777 and 1900 Pennsylvania and the states
fitabe could see many reasons why was unchrstan
By 1850 there were 1000 families in the South
with 100 to high as $500 slaves each, managed
by white colored overseers; and about 35O,O0O
families had smaller numbers, generally managed by
the himself Threefourths of the whites owned
no slaves at all, but defended the institution
Owners and managers varied greatly IN character,
intelligence and temper and treated their slaves
accordingly. Occasionally the most kindhearted and
easygoing were the least successful and had to sell
their holdings thus causing the heartrending break
ing of family ties By 1860 Onesixteetnth of all slaves
had been freed and many were enjoying full citizen
ship.
For two centuries the American people as
whole profited by the unpaid labor of the Negro
and then set him adrift ragged unguided and un-
ettered to the burdens of citizenship and to
be further exploited by politicians to his real injury
But "the chain that holds the slave has its other end
fastened to the master"
Negro Distribution
At the beginning of the nineteenth century the
Negro was 19%o Of the population; at the beginning
of the twentieth century, 1862 of the population;
at the present time, 1907 of the population In every
state in the union the proportion of Negroes is slowly
decreasing
Roughly speaking the black belt is a strip $50
miles wide, beginning at Richmond Va, and running
through Raleigh, N. c.. Columbia s. c.. Macon, Ga
Montgomery, Ala, Vieksburg, Miss, and Shreveport
La, into eastern Texas The center of Negro popula
tlon lS II norlnedStern AlaDana, near the city or
Chattanooga, Tenn.
There are over 5O% Negro population in South
Carolina and Mississippi over 37h95 in Georgia.
Florida, Alabama and Louisiana, over $780, in Vir
ginia, North Carolina and Arkansas over i2hot in
Tennessee and Texas, over SOB in West Virginia
Kentucky and Oklahoma, 1aa in thirteen other
states and less than 1 in the eighteen far northern
and western states.
In 1910 there were living in the United States
473 Negroes who were born in Africa 100 born in
Asia, "a born in Australia and 81 born in various
Pacific Islands At the time the occupations of
all Negro workers (snd these comprise one-seventh
of the total working population of the United states)
were
Agriculture, Forestry and Animal Hus-
panury OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 375
Domestic and Personal Service .11222S1
Manufacturing and Mechanical Industries . 1897
Transportation ncuding 81 railroad offieials 255969
Trade (ineluding 1875 bankers and bank of.
ficials) ........................ 119 4s1
Professional Service (including 12S chemists,
assayers and metalurgists, 237 civil
and mining engineers and surveyors,
Ats dentists, 1893 lawers and Judges,
and 3O77 physicians and surgeons) 80. 67,245
Extraction of minerals (including 1876 mine
operators) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 61129
fuphc service ............................ 22.3S2