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Factors that Affected Slavery In African societies, there was practically no difference between ordinary peasants and vassal peasants. As time went on, many vassal peasants became slaves, because of being unable to pay debts. There is adequate evidence citing case after case of African control of segments of the trade. Several African nations such as the Ashanti of Ghana and the Yoruba of Nigeria had economies largely depending on the trade. African peoples such as the Imbangala of Angola and the Nyamwezi of Tanzania would serve as intermediaries or roving bands warring with other African nations to capture Africans for Europeans.
Extenuating circumstances demanding exploration are the tremendous efforts European officials in Africa used to install rulers agreeable to their interests. They would actively favor one African group against another to deliberately ignite chaos and continue their slaving activities. Nevertheless, we cannot refer to slavery in Africa, in traditional sense of this word. It was simply a form of indentured servitude. They were often able to buy themselves out of slavery and rise to the position of social prominence. It is only after they were being sold to White people that African slaves had lost their basic human rights, while being turned into commodity.
The earliest slave trade route is commonly referred to as trans-Saharan. The Islamic expansion into the Africa resulted in large number of camels being used for the transportation purposes, which in its turn, allowed slaves to be transported from the depth of Africa to Mediterranean regions. It has been estimated that from the 10 th to the 19 th century some 6, 000 to 7, 000 slaves were transported north each year. Thus, from the time when this trade route was being established in 10 th century to 19 th century, a several million African slaves were moved into other regions of the world. Unlike in Americas, Black slaves were able to quickly integrate into Arab society, because Islam does not contain institutionalized provisions, which support slavery as the natural result of racial inequality, as it was the case with Christianity. The Islamic expansion also resulted in fact that many African slaves were being taken to India and the Middle East.
In India, they were being often treated even worse than later in America, because Indian society is based on the cast principle, where darkness of the skin defines persons social status. Even today, the descendents of Black slaves in Africa are often being denied social services, because of an unofficial racism that is widely spread throughout Indian society. The origins of Atlantic slave trade date back to 16 th century, when Portugal began to establish a permanent trade posts on Western coast of Africa. At the same time, there was a huge shortage of laborers in the newly discovered areas of New World. European settlers tried to enslave Native Americans first, but they proved to be poor slaves, often preferring to commit suicide then to lose their freedom.
At the same time, Portuguese merchants in Africa were being approached by the local tribal leaders, who offered slaves in exchange for the commodities of European civilization, such as guns. The article Atlantic Slave Trade, which can be found at Wikipedia web site, tells us: Europeans usually bought slaves who were captured in wars between African kingdoms and chiefdom's, or from Africans who had made a business out of capturing Africans and selling them. (Wikipedia). In other words, the legacy of slavery existed in Africa long before the arrival of Europeans. Thus, Portugal was the first European nation, which began to profiteer from selling African slaves to Americas.
When profitability of slave trade became obvious, the other European nation became involved in it, as well. By 17 th century, slave trade became an important part of colonial countries economies. Holland, England, France and Spain were actively taking advantage of this new type of trade. Therefore, it appears that the real reason why civilized European nations found it morally acceptable to trade human beings, was purely economical.
As practice shows, the considerations of morality come secondary, during any kind of economic activity. Atlantic slave trade was not the exception. This is why it is wrong to think of slave trade in terms of genocide. At the time when Europeans began to settle in the New World, there was an immense shortage of workforce.
Back than, there was no political correctness, which allowed people not to have any moral considerations, in regards of how this workforce could be obtained. Thus, the decision was made to import slaves from Africa. The slave trade, at the time, was being often referred to as triangular trade. Various goods, such as guns and industrial products were being brought to Africa from Europe. There, they would be exchanged for slaves, who would be put on the same ships and taken to a New World.
After this, the ships would be loaded up with colonial goods, such as tobacco, sugar and cotton to be brought to Europe. Thus, the profit could be made 3 times during one round trip. Nevertheless, it goes without saying that Atlantic slave trade is strongly associated with unimaginable brutality. It is estimated that around 12 million people were being shipped from Africa as slaves, up until year 1800. The slave quarters on ships were often overcrowded, thus adding to the rise of mortality among enslaved people. Only 80 %- 70 % of transported slaves on each ship would survive the trip, which could last for months.
Slaves were being a subject of inhuman treatment, while en route, because it was believed that only this would break down their spirit. Cristiane Taubira-Delannon in her article The Slave Trade: a Crime Against Humanity says: There is no possible way to really measure the horror of the slave trade and the abomination of slavery. Logbooks, since they were tampered with, do not reveal the extent of forays, the sufferings of exhausted and aghast children, the desperate and utter confusion of women, the utter distress of men. They do not mention the terrible groans of the slaves who were thrown overboard ballasted. They deny the rape of terrified young girls (Taubira-Delannon).
The Christian religion played very important role in justifying slave trade, from the ethical point of view. Black people were being referred to as the descendants of Ham, who was cursed by God. According to the Christian fable, Hams descendants were doomed to remain as other nations servants. Modern Christians try look away from the fact that their holy book contains endorsement of slavery; nevertheless, it is a fact. Morton Smith and Josef Hoffman in their book What the Bible Really Says are making a good point about Christian religion being collectively responsible for encouraging slave trade by saying: There is no reasonable doubt that the New Testament, like the Old, not only tolerated chattel slavery (the form prevalent in the Greco-Roman world of Pauls time) but helped to perpetuate it by making the slaves obedience to their masters a religious duty (Morton, Hoffman, p. 145).
Another factor, which made slave trade possible, is the fact that Africans were not being considered by Europeans as humans, in full sense of this word. Their primitive ways of living caused many Europeans to suggest that Black people will be much better off, if they become part of Western civilization, even if this involved their enslavement. This argument was not altogether deprived of logic. Nowadays, the descendents of Black slaves in America enjoy much higher living standards than their brethren's in Africa. Sometimes they travel to Africa in search of their spiritual roots, but as practice shows, they rarely want to come back again. There is no denying that Atlantic slave trade resulted in immeasurable amounts human suffering.
However, we need to understand that it was legal at the time. Slavery helped to establish the economies of every country in North and South America, with probable exemption of Canada. There are many things that are not moral, but they are necessary. For example, many people are deported from America today, often to their deaths, because of their illegal status this is immoral practice, but it is legal. The same was with Atlantic slave trade. This is why many White people, whose ancestors never knew what it is like to be a slave, now tell us that it does not make a lot of sense to over dramatize this issue, especially given the fact that it happened centuries ago.
History is not a fairy tale, they say, and it has always been a constant struggle between nations and races for the place under the sun. Atlantic slave trade was bound to be established, during the colonial times. Therefore, they think that it is a regrettable, but fully explainable part of our history. At the same time, every cause has its consequence.
Conservative politicians suggest that Black people simply need to forget that their ancestors were being sold like animals on open markets, beaten to death and referred to as simply a commodity by White slave owners. However, the history has its own sense of justice, which has nothing to do with political correctness. Now, it expresses itself in the fact that White people are afraid to get out of their houses, after it gets dark, not even to mention venturing in ghettos. White yuppies move their families into respected neighborhood, while being afraid to admit to themselves that they do it not because there is less crime and schools are safer, but because they simply do not want to live with Blacks.
Whitey gets to feel the taste of his own medicine and I think that this is absolutely justified. There was a time when White people were strong, but now they turned weak; this is why it is only natural for Black people to take advantage of this situation. One of the greatest Black politicians, Malcolm X, used to constantly stress out that civil rights is not something that is simply being handed out. These rights are not given they are taken. This is why the legacy of slavery will still linger in America, until the time when Black people are going to be able to share their pain with Whites fully. Bibliography: Atlantic Slave Trade. 2007.
Wikipedia. 2 Mar. 2007. web Taubira-Delannon, Cristiane The Slave Trade: a Crime against Humanity. 2000. Christiane Taubira. Org. 2 Mar. 2007.
http: // 209. 85. 135. 104 /search? q = cache: egypt-view: web Smith, Morton and Hoffman, Joseph. What the Bible Really Says. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus, 1989. Washington, Booker.
Up from Slavery. New York: State University of New York Press. 1967. Abstract: This paper discusses African slavery from economic and socio-political perspective. Outline: Slavery in Africa. Pp. 1 - 2 Atlantic slave trade.
Pp. 2 - 3. Slavery in America. Pp. 3 - 5 Conclusion. P. 5.
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Research essay sample on Atlantic Slave Trade 19 Th Century
