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Spanish American Manumission

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Slavery in Spanish America differed tremendously from the slavery that occurred in other slavery holding countries such as British America. In Spanish America, the colonial governments permitted the use of the practice of manumission. Manumission is the formal emancipation of slaves, in which the slave owner would free their slaves after a period of time. The question though is why would Spanish America allow manumission and what impact did it have on society. A deeper question in response to this practice is what determined that the slaves were free. Manumission is a unique practice that many Spanish American countries permitted to occur in their territories. Slavery in Spanish America was never meant to be a lifelong institution. …show more content…

Manumission was used in ancient Roman slavery and was a part of Roman law, which the colonies were trying to follow as a framework for successful government. Also the practice of manumission is embedded in Christian piety, which is important to the colonial governments in Spanish America. Also the Spanish American governments did not fear the practice of manumission because it allowed to slave owners to set the slaves free, and there was not a large fear of the slaves and what they would do if they were free. Many of the slaves once they earned their freedom continued to work in the roles they were working in the urban settings when they were slaves. The practice of manumission had positive effects for both the slaves and the slave masters, as well as the attitude toward slavery in general in Spanish …show more content…

Many of the slaves were from mixed backgrounds and races, causing the creation of a tier system based off of how they were racially mixed. The slaves who were mixed with European would have higher status than the slaves mixed with the native tribes. The religion and social and economic status of the slaves also determined their status in society. Many of these determinants are similar to the determinants that are used in America today to determine the status or class of a group of people. Spanish America allowed manumission since it followed a basic structure and had a positive impact on society, and the determination of the status of free slaves was based on their race and background. Manumission was a positive component of slavery in Spanish America as it provided a way out to many slaves and a more positive relationship between the slaves and the slave owners. Slavery looked different in Spanish America than in British America, but the framework that the governments followed also differed between the

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