Slavery Essay

Randy Sparks highlights a rare aspect of the history of slavery: the relentless effort of the enslaved to use their privilege to free themselves. Although it is not clear when the European and Africans first encountered each other in Old Calabar, it is evident that the constant trading between both parties built a concrete means of communication. As many individuals who have

Although all this documents stress voices from the Slave Trade, each document sheds a unique light on the much-debated question about who should be held responsible for the tragedy of the Atlantic slave trade. For example, Document 15.1 sheds light on the role of both European and African merchants in the trafficking of slaves as well as the human suffering of the slave trade. However Document 15.2 reveals the cooperation between local African rulers and European and African traders in the slave trade. Moreover, Documents 15.3 focus on how disruptive European traders could be to established African governments, even those that actively opposed the slave trade. And finally, Document 15.4 shows how some African leaders were attached to the slave trade and promoted it even when European were moving to end it. Nonetheless, all the documents do shed a clear and a full light on what should be held responsible for the

All through the African Slave Trade there have been numerous huge occasions that happened amid 1450-1850. Three of which I will be expounding on in this theme. The center section was the first key occasion in which Africans were sent to the New World. The slave treatment and resistance of African men and ladies who were viewed as not as much as human was the second key occasion. The Fugitive Slave Law which permitted recover of slaves was the third key occasion. An expected 12 million Africans were transported over the Atlantic toward the Western Hemisphere from 1450 to 1850. Of this number, around five percent were conveyed to British North America and, later, to the United States, the greater part of them landing somewhere around 1680 and 1810. A little number of Africans went first to the British West Indies and afterward to North America.

In sharp contrast to what most people think, “only about 6 percent of the slaves imported in Africa ended up in what is now the United States.” Most of those taken from Africa ended up, if they survived the long sea voyage, in the West

The African Slave Trade (pg 27): Portuguese traders likewise ousted Arab merchants as the prime purveyors of African slaves. Some Africans were held in bondage as security for debts; others were sold into servitude by their kin in exchange for food in times of

This primary source shows historians the first signs of the impact the slave trade will soon have on Africa. The most well known narrative is The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah- Equiano. Olaudah was a slave from present day Nigeria that was kidnapped at a young age and sold into the slave trade along with his older sister. This primary source serves as great importance to historians, for it gives a first hand account of the trade. For example, Equiano describes his memories of the boat to Barbadoes. “”Made ready with fearful noises, and were all put under deck… the stench of the hold while were on the coast was intolerably loathsome.” This quote serves for the purpose of allowing readers to understand the misery and discomfort endured by the African as they traveled to the Americas. The next stage for the slaves includes auction and sale, where they would be sold to an owner. In The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave gives the insight of how a young slave felt to be sold once making it to the Americas. She describes it as, “handled me in the same way that a butcher would a calf or lamb he was about to purchase.” This source allows readers to see how whites treated slaves as “nonhuman” this social view impacted American’s lives until the late 1960s and beyond. The next sets of primary sources of non-African people they describe the slave trade through a “white perspective”. “A Description of the Coasts of North and South Guinea” written

”European ships brought manufactured goods to Africa, trading them for people. They carried Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas where they were sold into slavery (The Atlantic Slave Trade).” Europeans fueled trade by selling African slaves in exchange for sugar, coffee, and tobacco, impacting economies in both, Europe and the Americas. Further, another triangular network between the English colonies, West Indies, and Africa, led to the trade of numerous commodities including slaves, rum, sugar and molasses. From an economic standpoint, the increased demand for African slaves became integral to trade between the three nations fueling the growth of various trade networks.

Capturing native African people and using them as slaves was not a new idea. It had already been going on in Portugal for some 350 years , where Africans worked day in and day out in fields. Slavery was decreasing in Europe, but it still existed. The “New World,” which would eventually become the United States, was not expansive enough at first to need slave labor, but this soon changed. The colonies grew in size as more people traveled there and established trading posts and towns. The Dutch West India Company, a huge trading company located in what would become Manhattan, sold eleven enslaved Africans to Virginia, and the slaves, all male, arrived in 1626. They were forced to work in harsh conditions from sunup to sundown and were a driving force in building the infrastructure of the town.

Throughout the history of mankind, a vast variety of achievements can be noted. Whether it be the discovery of fire, electricity, democracy, etc., humans have mastered the art of advancing themselves toward modern civilization. However, the history of mankind is also burden with many acts of darkness. Centuries ago, the slavery system was created and this hateful act continues to haunt the world to this day. A common miss conception of slavery, is that it began with the Europeans kidnapping Africans and taking them to the New World for agricultural purposes. However, slavery stretches much farther than the early developments of the United Sates. For example, the word slavery is derived from the root word “Slav”, which originated from the the Slavic people who were subjugated by other Europeans in the early developments of mankind. (Azumah) Western slavery is often connected with being the most heinous act towards the African people in history. With that said, many people are unaware of the Arab Muslim slave trade that occurred which resulted in the deaths of millions of more African lives than American slavery. (Azumah)

The Transatlantic slave trade is a “wrenching aspect of the history of Africa and America” (Colin Palmer). The transatlantic slave trade transported African people to the “New World”. It lasted from the 16th to the 19th century. Slavery has had a big impact on African culture. The Africans were forced to migrate away from everything they knew, culture, heritage and lifestyles (Captive Passage). Coupled with they were faced with racism and overcame life-threaten situations everyday. Nevertheless the Africans preserved and survived tremendous conditions. Even though the slave trade was horrible it still contributed to the economy of the

After thoroughly inspecting the information displayed by “Slave Kingdoms (episode 3)”, it awakened me to the lasting dynamic slave trade left on the Africa nation. I had always heard of the Trans-Atlantic slave and how Europeans transported roughly about 11 millions of African slaves overseas, impacting so many peoples lives. Depriving women and children of their culture, heritage, history and even their names. The triangular trade got it name due to the fact of the transfer between Africa, European buyers and new world America distributers. In the early 18th century, Britain became known as the world’s leading trade country, but what I was not taught about, before this video clip, was Africans selling other Africans into slavery.

Slavery has taken place throughout the world since before ancient times, and the act of trading slaves was a common act throughout the world for centuries. Slavery previously existed in certain parts of Africa, Europe, Asia, and also in America before the beginning of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. What initially started out as an enormous search for trade in gold, spices, and etc., ended up turning into an callous human trading system of exporting African slaves, which would continue for well over 400 years. In the late 15th century, Europeans and Arabs removed slaves from the West, Central and Southeast Africa overseas during the African slave trade era. The European establishment of Africa

Like many others demoralized cultures during the Atlantic Slave trade period, Africans fell victim to the sixteenth century discovery of Columbus' so called "New World." Europeans used the Atlantic Slave Trade to capitalize on Columbus' so called "Discovery." For more than three centuries, the regions of Africa were in a state of destabilization. More than thirty million Africans were taken out of Africa and put in the Americas and surrounding countries.

European countries such as Britain and France, which they owned most of the African land, they had the most power during this period of time but Germany was a rising power during this period of time. During 1500 to 1800 Europeans used Africa for its resources, for example the Europeans gathered gold and ivory, which was very important at that time. One of the big questions in this article is “how did European countries cooperate with each other?” this is a good question because they shared most of the land with each other. The three main reasons why this was unfair was because first of all European countries took over native lands without permission and second of all they took all their valuable resources and last but not least they destroyed their homes and forced them to work.

A common occurrence in the twentieth century historiography of American and Middle Eastern slavery is to downplay the significance of African societies as major players in the international trade network, while ignoring the slave trade’s effect on cultures throughout Africa. Paul Lovejoy attempts to highlight these connections by examining how the demand for slaves in the export market altered local political economies and drastically changed the practice of slavery throughout Africa. Transformations in Slavery: A History of Slavery in Africa is a synthesis work, covering multiple regions of the continent over a span of five hundred years, beginning in the fifteenth century. It is an impressive piece of historical scholarship that describes the ripple effect made by the international slave trade on nearly every society in Africa, even those with limited European contact. Despite several intriguing and logical arguments, the book displays moments of inconsistency. His definition of a slave is too narrow for his application of it, his synthesis approach results in frequent generalizations, and by assuming total domination of the enslaver over the enslaved he denies any possibility of slave agency.