At the peak of the slave trade and industry in the United States, what was the percentage or the numerical population of slaves compared with free citizens?

lanfranco

I'm not certain precisely when the "peak" was, but according to this site, the free population in 1860, just before the Civil War, was 27,489, 561, while the slave population was 3,953,760. So what would that be, something over 14%? I find that interesting, since the Black population of the U.S. is now only about 12.5% of the total. http://www.civilwarhome.com/population1860.htm Sep 15 05, 3:50 PM

picqero

Thanks for the very interesting website. I'm also quite surprised that the 'slave' population in 1860 apparently exceeded the 'black' population today. Presumably 'white' immigration following the Civil War greatly exceeded 'black' immigration? Interesting subject for further study. Sep 15 05, 4:21 PM

lanfranco

Well, though white Europeans had plenty of reasons to immigrate to the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, what on earth, given our history, would have encouraged Black people from Africa and the Caribbean to do the same? They wouldn't have gone to Middle East, either, which had an even longer history of snatching slaves from Africa. Sep 15 05, 4:48 PM

picqero

You're quite correct and I completely agree with you. In fact most African slaves were captured in the first instance by fellow Africans, often as a result of powerful warring kingdoms. They were then sold to whoever wanted to buy them, and this had been going on for centuries prior to any European or American involvement. Sep 17 05, 12:43 AM