A comparative essay between North American Slavery system and the Russian

Serfdom system

During the period of 1450 to 1750 un-free labor systems could be found dispersed

globally as a means of agricultural production. These systems differed significantly in some

areas while also sharing similar traits. The government that upheld the system, conditions of the

slaves and serfs, and the amount of freedom the nobility held over the slaves influenced these

systems differences and similarities. Distinctively, the North American Slavery system and the

Russian Serfdom system can be compared to each other through these factors.

The North American Slavery system began in the United States as blacks were shipped to the

country and worked as indentured servants, much like the Russian serfs. This similarity didn’t

last, and by the end of the 17th century there was a clear distinction between black slaves, and

Russian serfs. In 1662 legislation was passed to make blacks servants for life. By 1750, the

North American Slavery system was in full swing. In the United States, the government was

divided upon the issue of slavery, which in turn sparked the civil war. Also, slave owner’s had

increasing degrees of control over their slaves. Under the plantation system gang labor was the

typical form of employment. Overseers were harsh, and brutality was common. Slaves could

own no property unless allowed by a slave master, and rape of a female slave was not considered

a crime except as it represented trespassing on another's property. Slaves could not present

evidence in court against whites. Housing, food, and clothing were of poor quality and seldom

exceeded what was considered minimally necessary to maintain the desired level of work.

Owners reinforced submissive behavior not so much by positive rewards as by punishment of

those who did not work hard enough. The slaves of the United States on many occasions did try

to escape the bondage in which they were held. The Underground Railroad for example was one

of the most prominent paths used by the slaves to get to the North where they weren’t subjugated

as bad as in the American South.

The Russian Serfdom system shared many of the attributes held by the early North

American Slavery system. The serfs weren’t completely slaves, but conditions were quite bad, as

the government and nobles kept the peasants down with an iron fist until the Tsar Alexander II.

Over 90% of the people in Russia were serfs, who took heed to the nobles and government. In

1649 the act of serfdom became hereditary and peasants born into serfdom could not rise above

it. In Russia, conditions were bad, but couldn’t compare to the conditions of North American

slavery. Serfs still held the ability to manage their own villages, although they were subject to

taxation, could not own property, and after 1669 lost the ability to move their home. These

arduous conditions caused the peasants to rebel on occasion. The Pugachev Rebellion of the

1770’s was the largest of these rebellions, although Catherine the Great put it down within

relatively short period.

The onerous conditions of the un-free labor systems can be seen on different levels

between North American slavery and Russian serfdom. The Russian serfs were quite similar to

the North American slaves in terms of the amount of freedom the nobility held over the slaves.

Also, over time the nobility took greater advantage of the slaves in both North America and

Russia, until the leadership ended the period. While similar in some aspects, many differences

impacted the course of each of these un-free labor systems, including government approval and

conditions of the slaves.