Racial and socio-economic caste of Pan-American society
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations.(June 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
A painting by Agostino Brunias depicting two members of the planter class and their slave
The planter class was a racial and socioeconomic caste which emerged in the Americas during European colonization in the early modern period. Members of the caste, most of whom were settlers of European descent, consisted of individuals who owned or were financially connected to plantations, large-scale farms devoted to the production of cash crops in high demand across Euro-American markets. These plantations were operated by the forced labour of slaves and indentured servants and typically existed in tropical climates, where the soil was fertile enough to handle the intensity of plantation agriculture. Cash crops produced on plantations owned by the planter class included tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, indigo, coffee, tea, cocoa, sisal, oil seeds, oil palms, hemp, rubber trees, and fruits. In North America, the planter class formed part of the American gentry.
As European settlers began to colonize the Americas in the 16th and 17th centuries, they quickly realized the economic potential of growing cash crops which were in high demand in Europe. Settlers began to establish plantations, the majority of which were located in the West Indies. Initially, these plantations were operated with the labor of indentured servants from Europe, but they were eventually supplanted by enslaved Africans brought to the Americas via the Atlantic slave trade. Colonial plantations eventually formed a key component of the triangular trade, where by European goods were brought to Africa and exchanged for slaves, which were brought to the Americas to be sold to colonists, who used them to produce cash crops which were shipped back to Europe; most African slaves brought to the Americas were sold to the planter class, who frequently subjected them to brutal mistreatment.
Beginning in the mid-18th century, the rise of abolitionism in Europe and the Americas led to a popular movement to abolish slavery in European colonies, which met with strong resistance from the planter class. Despite this, European nations gradually began to abolish their involvement in the slave trade and the institution of slavery itself during the late-18th and early 19th centuries. Nations in the Americas followed suit, with Brazil being the last nation to abolish slavery, in 1888. The abolition of slavery led to a rapid decline in the fortunes of the planter class, which responded by importing indentured servants from Asia. By the 20th century, the planter class ceased to be politically and socially influential in either the Americas or Europe. The exact reasons for the decline of the planter class and their role in the development of racial capitalism remain a strong point of contention among historians.
The planterclass was a racial and socioeconomic caste which emerged in the Americas during European colonization in the early modern period. Members...
Look up planter in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Planter or Planters may refer to: A flowerpot or box for plants Jardiniere, one such type of pot,...
French belle 'beautiful') is a colloquialism for a debutante in the planterclass of the Antebellum South. The image of a Southern belle is often characterized...
political eminence especially in the Colony of Virginia as part of the planterclass, owning several highly valued plantations, mostly making their money...
when their ancestors had accumulated fortunes as members of the elite planterclass, or as merchants, slave traders, ship-owners, or fur traders. In many...
Lawrence Washington, and politician Charles Washington. Born into the planterclass of the British colony of Virginia, Washington owned several slave plantations...
"Ancient planter" was a term applied to early colonists who migrated to the Colony of Virginia in what is now the United States, when the colony was managed...
including as a term for the planterclass of such a society itself. Slavocracies are also sometimes known as plantocracies, after "planter" used as a term for...
1853; at the time of his death he owned 10 slaves. Born into the elite planterclass, Ward was taught the skills and knowledge for taking on such responsibilities...
States Income inequality in the United States Old Philadelphians Planterclass Social class in the United States Social Register Upper Ten Thousand Wealth...
beyond the image of the planterclass", and the principles of Southern hospitality were eventually adopted by non-planterclass and Southern African Americans...
London, before later moving to Ireland. As members of the Virginia planterclass, the early generations of the Harrisons were slaveholders. President...
Plantation and had a privileged upbringing typical of members of the planterclass, attending boarding schools in Winchester, Virginia, and Raleigh, North...
the American upper class in the colonial South. Historians generally use the term "gentry" to refer to the moneyed planterclass in the American South...
The decision in their favor prompted a backlash from the French white planterclass on Saint-Domingue, who also exerted power in France. These elements...
be realized, its potential scale stoked the fears of the antebellum planterclass that led to increased restrictions on both enslaved and free African...
emigrated to the English colony of Virginia and became a member of the planterclass. In addition to serving in the Virginia militia and owning several slave...
presidential candidate in 1804 and 1808, losing both elections. Born into a planterclass family from South Carolina, Pinckney practiced law for several years...
of the Spanish threat and economic pressure from Georgia's emergent planterclass forced Parliament to reverse itself. Having envisioned the Georgia colony...
scalawags in terms of social class, showing that on average they were less wealthy or prestigious than the elite planterclass. As Thomas Alexander (1961)...
his new wife's situation. Angry at the returning prosperity of the planterclass, emancipated slaves living in Coulibri burn down Annette's house, killing...
"Five Civilized Tribes" purchased slaves and became members of the planterclass. A number of Indian nations of the time are considered “slave societies”...
spring. However, because the plantation owners were suspicious of the planterclass (read "plantation workers"), the Chinese claimed that it represented...
values that he found reflected in the honor code and lifestyle of the planterclass and with which he increasingly came into contact in his retirement community...
(2009). The Quaker community on Barbados: challenging the culture of the planterclass ([Online-Ausg.] ed.). Columbia: University of Missouri Press. ISBN 9780826218476...
Global Information
