TOPIC 2.3 Regions of the British Colonies
Dr. Barbara Fields Busts myths About Race and Indentured SERVITUDE
The legendary Dr. Barbara Fields.
KC-2.1.II.A The Chesapeake and North Carolina colonies grew prosperous exporting tobacco—a labor-intensive product initially cultivated by white, mostly male indentured servants and later by enslaved Africans.
Objective: Students will identify Dr. Fields’ claim that America’s obsession with concepts of “black” and “white” were not yet formed during the 17th century.
This key concept in an Antiracist Classroom:
Dr. Barbara Fields’ 1990 essay, “Slavery, Race, and Ideology” is one of the most significant historical arguments on the issue of race in American history. In it, Dr. Fields lays out the central antiracist fact that although race is not even real, racism has played a central role in American history. Her argument slightly modifies the claim of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi about Africans being “Stamped from the Beginning” in American history. She argues that race was not a central factor in the treatment of African and European laborers in early 17th century British America. According to Fields, America’s racial ideologies were not solidified until the founding of a new government based on Enlightenment principles needed to justify its own obvious hypocrisy.
Notes
These materials should be used as a warm-up activity after the students have already learned about 17th century labor systems in the Chesapeake colonies, you will need 15-20 minutes to get through everything. Being able to identify a central claim in a short section from a secondary source is an essential AP skill. Of all the articles I read in grad school, this one was the most impactful. I have erroneously attempted to assign large portions of the essay to my students, but it didn’t work and produced a bunch of confused teenagers. (If anyone has assigned large sections of this text and had a successful class discussion on it, I would LOVE to hear about it!) After students practice identifying Dr. Fields’ central claim, I spend 10 minutes walking students through the highlights of her arguments. Time permitting, student questions and class discussion on the topic can be quite fruitful. Also, Dr. Fields has commented on Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s work. She said she enjoyed it and found it deeply moving, though she disagrees with him about the exact origins of American racial ideology. And yes, this is the same Dr. Barbara Fields from the Ken Burns Civil War documentary.