Hatshepsut
7th September 2014, 22:39
This is an aside—since it doesn’t involve judgment regarding whether colonial economies can be described as capitalistic from a Marxist perspective. Yet Anna Rochester (American Capitalism, International Publishers, 1949, pp. 39-40) does give an early precursor to privatization of corrections and law enforcement activities seen today. This is public remuneration to slave masters who killed rebelling slaves in a 1672 Virginia incident, paid out in tobacco leaf. Rochester’s citation is to Herbert Morais’ The Struggle for American Freedom (International Publishers, 1944, p. 68), which is apparently difficult to obtain.
The authorizing legislation can be found at Virtual Jamestown’s website, however. It is “September 1672, Act VIII—An Act to Suppress the Rebellious Activities of Slaves” on the page “Selected Virginia Statutes relating to Slavery,” which gives
Forsamuch as…that many negroes have been…out in rebellion…if it happen that…such [a] negro…die of any wound in such their resistance received…the master or owner of such shall receive satisfaction from the public…all such negroes and slaves shall be valued at 4,500 pounds of tobacco and cask apiece…
Reference here is to The Statutes at Large (Henig, vol. 2, 299-300). An additional provision awarded 250 pounds of tobacco to anyone who apprehended a runaway slave.
My guess is that privatization here was undertaken by necessity rather than as option. Virginia itself almost certainly lacked the required manpower, in contrast with modern U.S. states privatizing their prisons despite having robust departments. I am unsure of whether, or how, Marxist authors have treated the privatization of government. The phenomenon does seem to represent a significant trend in the United States from its earliest history that would command research attention.
The authorizing legislation can be found at Virtual Jamestown’s website, however. It is “September 1672, Act VIII—An Act to Suppress the Rebellious Activities of Slaves” on the page “Selected Virginia Statutes relating to Slavery,” which gives
Forsamuch as…that many negroes have been…out in rebellion…if it happen that…such [a] negro…die of any wound in such their resistance received…the master or owner of such shall receive satisfaction from the public…all such negroes and slaves shall be valued at 4,500 pounds of tobacco and cask apiece…
Reference here is to The Statutes at Large (Henig, vol. 2, 299-300). An additional provision awarded 250 pounds of tobacco to anyone who apprehended a runaway slave.
My guess is that privatization here was undertaken by necessity rather than as option. Virginia itself almost certainly lacked the required manpower, in contrast with modern U.S. states privatizing their prisons despite having robust departments. I am unsure of whether, or how, Marxist authors have treated the privatization of government. The phenomenon does seem to represent a significant trend in the United States from its earliest history that would command research attention.