Slave trade has been an important part of history since it defines different aspects of the world today. Certain settlement patterns, such as the patterns in the southern US states can be linked to the slave trade. It is therefore important to analyze this part of history in more detail. The African slave trade involved the gathering, transportation and selling of black people from Africa to other continents. It usually took place in commercial centers and was practiced for several thousand years, between the 16th and 19th century.
Millions of women, men and children were transported to America, and this was done to provide much needed labor. Although it led to the death and suffering to the slaves, it is an important part of history and the settlement patterns in the modern world. This paper aims at analyzing different aspects of the slave trade with the aim of understanding what the slaves went through. It also aims at giving a brief conclusion at the end of the paper.
Atlantic slave trade
This slave trade was facilitated by Portuguese voyages across Africa’s west coast. The Portuguese sailors captured Africans during these voyages and sold them in other lands. The Spanish people has discovered that Caribbean natives were unsuited for performing heavy labor, and that Africans were more suited for doing it.
This shipment of Africans began around the year 1517 and over 900,000 Africans slaves were traded during this period. In the 17th Century, there was an increase of trading of cash crops which include cotton, sugar, tobacco and coffee[1]. These were grown in the West Indies, North America, Brazil and other western countries. Increase in demand of these crops necessitated the use of cheap labor, and the Portuguese provided slaves to serve this purpose. In later years, the Dutch, French and British joined the slave trade. During the 17th Century, over 2,700,000 slaves were traded, with this figure increasing to more than 7,000,000 during the 18th Century.
How Africans were captured in their homeland.
In Africa, especially West Africa, domestic slavery initially existed, and this was one of the ways in which slaves were captured sold to Europeans. Merchants used to own slaves who performed hard labor such as carrying loads through the Savannah and forests. These slaves were usually the people who were born in the lower caste of society, and these generations experienced slavery. Other people who were sold as slaves were the prisoners of war captured during the inter- tribal wars which were rampant in many African societies. Debtors and criminals were also sold by Africans as slaves to the slave traders. With the increase in slaves, the slave traders supplied weapons to some societies, which made inland raids and captured people and sold them as slaves.
The slaves collected further inland were usually chained together when being transported to the coasts, which acted as collection centers. If there were two slaves, they were chained together by cuffs around the legs. In case they were groups of four, they were bound together by use of ropes. Sometimes when marching two slaves, the one at the front would be secured by the Y shaped part of a stick which was tied to the neck, while the other end was similarly tied to the neck of the slave behind him or her. These slaves would be escorted by African guards who were armed.
There were many companies which carried out slave trading activities in Africa. Some included the European slave traders, while others were independent companies. Most of the slaves were picked from West Africa in countries such as Gambia, Senegal, Niger delta, Gold Coast, Angola, the Congo River and beyond. Usually, the slave ship captains traded with chiefs in these countries, with European agents coordinating collection of slaves in the slave centers. The slaves were kept in baracoons, which were enclosed areas which acted as collection points. After capture, most slave traders either sold them to their countries of origin or to Americans, in exchange for tobacco or molasses, which were subsequently sold to their native countries. Successful voyages were very profitable to the slave traders.
The voyage to the new land.
In the 18th century, the voyage lasted at least two months, while in the 19th century it took a maximum of two months due to development of faster ships. The slaves experienced terrible fear throughout their voyage across the sea. This was primarily created by uncertainty regarding their future and the place where they were being transported to. They were unsure of where they were being taken to and what awaited them. Some slaves on the other hand thought white people were cannibals and those they were gong to be killed and eaten. The dreadful fear made some slaves rebel against their masters, though this was usually unsuccessful and resulted in beatings and further suffering. Other slaves opted to jump overboard rather than travel to the unknown destination, and this resulted in death through drowning.
Living conditions
The slaves traveled and lived in very inhumane conditions. In fact, many slaves dies en route to their destination due to the poor living conditions, lack of food, lack of health care and harsh weather. Many slaves died due to diseases such as small pox and dysentery. Others die due to suicides, after undergoing suffering and losing hope in life. In fact, over 10% of the slaves died during this journey. Majority of the slaves who died due to suicide did so after refusing to eat. This is a very painful death, which further illustrates the experiences that the slaves went through.
The slaves used to remain below deck and to lie on the floor very close to one another so that they could fit the overcrowded ships. It was not uncommon to find ships designed for 450 people transporting 600 slaves. Congestion was a major factor which contributed to the development and spread of these diseases[2]. The slaves were allowed to go on deck for very short durations in order to exercise. In addition to congestion causing disease, it had another immediate effect on the slaves, and this was limitation of air. Many slaves fainted and died due to shortage of air to breathe, since they were overcrowded below deck, where there was limited circulation of air.
The experience in the ships is best comprehended through reading the books written by survivors of the slave trade. In one instance, the ship that the slaves were traveling in hit a squall which was heavy[3]. The slaves had not experienced this situation before and they were thrown to one side. They therefore heaped and lay on top of one another, which rendered them helpless. After a few moments, the slaves were helped to regain their normal place to relieve pressure on the rest, and fifteen slaves were found to have been crushed or smothered to death. The reaction of the captain was casual, with the only regret being the loss of a few thousand dollars in cash. This clearly shows that the slaves were regarded as goods of no value whatsoever, apart from the monetary value which they possessed. The slaves also underwent torture in order to break the will of the defiant slaves. Some of the slaves had their legs cut off in a bid to threaten the rest.
Arrival at the new land
Once the slaves arrived in the new land, they were either sold to individual owners or slave dealers. In the initial beginning of slave trade, the black slaves were treated similarly to white servants. However, with time, it became clear that blacks were viewed as commodities for sale and properties with commercial value. In 1667, a Virginia law was passed which made it mandatory for black slaves to remain servants throughout their lives, and were considered to be property.
After arriving at the new land, the men, women and children were separated, a situation which broke down the family unit. The men and women worked in plantations as a gang, with their overseers being very brutal with them. The slave owner decided the type of punishment which would be given to slaves, in the event that he or she felt that the slaves needed punishment. The punishment included whipping, solitary confinement, food deprivation, sale or public humiliation. There was no reward for good behavior, which was usually reinforced through punishing bad behavior. However, there were very few masters who rewarded good behavior by giving extra food rations, better jobs or the choice of the time which slaves would work.
It is important to realize that as much as the physical punishment would result in wounds or injuries, these could easily heal. However, the trauma that the slaves went through hardly healed, considering its magnitude. These slaves saw their peers being killed, and fathers saw their children and wives being raped. Children on the other hand witnessed their mothers being raped and fathers being whipped to death. These are not images which can be easily be wiped off from the brain, and they have the potential to cause a mild or complete mental breakdown. All the survivors were also affected in one way or another.
Rights of the slaves
The slaves had no right under law and could not present evidence against whites in courts. They could also not own property unless sanctioned by the owner. Slave codes were passed in all southern states to control opposition by slaves. Due to some cases of opposition, these codes increased the inhumane treatment accorded to slaves and blacks in general. Blacks could not carry arms or converge in groups unless there a white person was present.
The slaves lived in inhumane conditions with poor food and lack of decent clothes to wear. The poor food took a toll on them, considering that they were supposed to perform manual labor. It most states in the south, it was illegal to teach slaves writing and reading. The female slaves were raped, since this was not seen as a crime. The only time when rape was viewed to be inconsiderate was when a master raped a slave belonging to a different master.
Daily routine and chores
Most slaves lived in houses built of wood or logs, which may have had windows with no panes. The floor was usually dirt, with furniture and utensils made by the slaves by hand. Slave children usually woke up early in the morning after hearing a bell or horn[4]. Most times they went to the field to work, although at times they were lucky to be assigned to play with the master’s child. In addition to these roles, the children had chores to perform in the homes such as helping in preparing dinner.
The adult slaves began their day before dawn and worked throughout the day before taking a break at noon[5]. After a two hours break, they continued working on the land till late in the evening. Some white farmers joined them in toiling land, but they controlled the time and energy put in farming, unlike the slaves who were watched over by people holding whips. During harvest time, the slaves worked for very many hours toiling the fields, with some working for eighteen ours daily. There was no sex discrimination in performing this work, with even pregnant women being forced to perform these duties. Children also played their role during these tasks, and they took part in watering or weeding the crops.
Summary and conclusion
Slavery has been seen to have had very serious effects to the people who experienced it. Very many people lost their lives or were injured during the years of slavery. Others committed suicide and died painful deaths due to starvation, after they either lost hope in life or they tried to stand up to what they believe in. Many family members were separated, a fact which led to a breakdown in familial relations. Black people were treated as commodities, and were tortured and punished at will. This experience left severe emotional wounds which are difficult to heal, especially in instances where women were raped, or men killed in front of their families. Children also carried trauma from the experience especially due to exposure to shock at such early ages. It is difficult to understand what may have made the masters treat the slaves in such inhumane ways. It is similarly difficult to understand what may have made Africans sell their fellow tribesmen to the Europeans.
However, after much pressure by civil rights groups, the slavery ended and blacks became free. Leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Junior spoke against the discrimination which was being targeted at black people. It is important that every person who experienced the slavery to move on with their lives and forgive the people who made them go through this experience. The people who have not fully recovered from this experience need to go for counseling, which will enable them to get over it. The positive aspects of the slavery need to be emphasized on, and these include the increase in cultural diversity. The United States has demonstrated to the world that it has moved past the era of slavery and discrimination against black people. This is demonstrated by the election of a black president for the first time in the history of the US.
Bibliography
- Davis, Brion. Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World. New York: Oxford University Press US, 2006, p5-12.
- Fogel, William. The Slavery Debates, 1952-1990: A Retrospective. Lousiana: LSU Press, 2006, p 4-9.
- PBS Kids organization. (2008). A day in the life: History game. Retrieved on February 13, 2008 from <http://pbskids.org/stantonanthony/africanam_boy.html>.
- The library of Congress. (2002). National Expansion and reform, 1815-1880. Retrieved on February 13, 2008 from <http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/timeline/expref/slavery/slavery.html>.
- Zambia Zenbola. (1847). Slave ship: The life and adventures of Zambia and African slave. Retrieved on February 13, 2008 from <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASships.htm>.
- [1] Fogel, William. The Slavery Debates, 1952-1990: A Retrospective. Lousiana: LSU Press, 2006, p 4-9.
[2] Davis, Brion. Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006, p5-12.
[3] Zamba Zenbola. (1847). Slave ship: The life and adventures of Zambia and African slave. Retrieved on February 13, 2008 from <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASships.htm>.
[4] PBS Kids organization. (2008). A day in the life: History game. Retrieved on February 13, 2008 from <http://pbskids.org/stantonanthony/africanam_boy.html>.
[5] The library of Congress. (2002). National Expansion and reform, 1815-1880. Retrieved on February 13, 2008 from <http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/timeline/expref/slavery/slavery.html>.
