The phenomenon of slavery is one of the most devastating factors that affected the lives of people of African descent throughout the years. However, it is essential to address the origins of racism and slavery in order to create a comprehensive understanding of these concepts. In the chapter “The Origin of Negro Slavery”, Williams explains that although currently slavery is deeply connected to the exploitation of African Americans, initially, populations of various races and ethnicities were occupied as enslaved people (Williams 7). Considering that individuals of all races were involved in slavery in the New World, racism emerged as a consequence of forced labor and was not originally connected to the targeted discrimination of African Americans.
In the history of slavery, the first population compelled to undergo the severe process of enslavement was the Indians. For instance, Spanish explorers utilized Indian labor in their colonies to convert the population to Christianity, enforcing the necessity of slave labor on the individuals who refused to accept the Christian faith (Williams 8). Similarly, Great Britain and France supported slavery in the colonial territories; however, this event was not connected to racial predispositions but to the fact that slavery served as a preventative penalty for the indigenous communities. Nevertheless, over the course of history, enslaved Negroes became a highly more important asset in the slave trade due to the economic benefits, leading to the establishment of Negro slavery as a normal condition (Williams 21). As a result, racism and racial discrimination emerged, but the initial origin for substituting other enslaved people with African Americans remained economic, not racial.
To conclude, the connection between slavery and racism lies in the fact that racial predispositions towards African Americans were caused by the overwhelming use of enslaved African Americans. As such, slavery did not emerge as a result of racism; on the contrary, individuals from various races and ethnic communities were involved in the slave trade. Nevertheless, after the economic benefits of using enslaved African Americans were established, negative racial stereotypes began to emerge, leading to the occurrence of racism.