Читать книгу Police in America - Steven G. Brandl - Страница 49

As the economy of the colonies continued to grow, so did the need for laborers. This led to the advent of slavery. Africans began to be transported to the colonies in the 1600s, and by 1860, approximately 450,000 had been relocated there.⁴ With births far outnumbering deaths, by 1860 there were four million slaves in the country.⁵ Slave patrols were established shortly after the mass importation of slaves began and were in place in several colonies by the mid-1700s.⁶ The law typically required white landowners (slave owners) to serve on slave patrols. Because it was not a desirable duty, by the 1800s members of slave patrols usually included people who did not own slaves or land, and they were paid. The pay was about the same as that given to members of the town watch, which was about one dollar per night. In addition, when runaway slaves were captured, the slave patrol members shared the reward. The patrols typically consisted of seven men who were assigned to an area of about ten to twelve square miles.⁷ In 1837 Charleston, South Carolina, had a slave patrol that consisted of more than a hundred officers.⁸

slave patrols: Patrols tasked with looking for runaway slaves, policing the whereabouts of slaves, and making sure slaves were not in possession of weapons or property they were not allowed to have.

The purpose of the slave patrols was multifaceted. They patrolled the roads and stopped slaves to make sure the slaves had passes to be away from their plantations. They also were on the lookout for slaves who gathered for illegal worship. Members of slave patrols also had the authority to enter plantations and search the living quarters of slaves for stolen property, runaway slaves, and weapons. They also looked for books, paper, and pens, as it was illegal for slaves to learn how to read or write.⁹ In some villages, the slave patrols worked alongside the watches, and some patrol members went on to serve as members of the watches. During the Civil War, the slave patrols became more active, and slaves were even more closely monitored. For example, in Atlanta, Georgia, slave patrols were authorized to arrest any blacks who were on the street after 9:00 p.m. They also prevented blacks from gathering unless members of a slave patrol or the police were present.¹⁰

Photo 2.1 Slave patrols provided an important form of policing in the pre–Civil War era. These patrols represented the first example of racial conflict between police and blacks in America.

@North Wind Picture Archives/Alamy Stock Photo