...Slavery. It has been here since the beginning of civilization, and still is present to this day. As contradictory as it may seem, people have been using each other as property for a very long time. This horrible invention has been applied in several different countries all over the world. Over this time span, several different kinds of slavery have been established. Slavery has made an everlasting impact on the world today. Because of slavery we now have social, man-created concepts, such as race, gender, and class. Slavery has benefitted and disadvantaged many people of this day and time. Slavery is the main reason for the dispersal of African peoples, also known as the African Diaspora. As mentioned earlier, slavery was present almost everywhere. The main areas that affected the African Diaspora were Africa itself, the New World, and the Indian Ocean. Slavery in Africa started in approximately the 7th century and it was over religious reasons. Arab Muslims and Europeans traded in West, Central, and East Africa. Slavery existed in some of Africa’s earliest organized societies. The buying and selling of slaves were regular activities in cities along the Nile River. In Africa, early slavery resulted from warring groups taking captives. The treatment of slavery in Africa was variable. Many societies recognized slaves as merely property and some saw them as dependants who eventually might be integrated into the families of slave owners, because of this slavery was...
Words: 1365 - Pages: 6
...Slavery has been a social norm for thousands of centuries, so when the English settlers created America, they also brought over that social inherent ideal. Slaves in every culture were considered a substandard version of their special elite race. Slaves were commonly abused by all societies who owned them to show power and control. Slavery began prior to and after the development of colonization, but international trade of slaves was not ban until the early 1800’s. The ban resulted in the domestic and illegal trade of slaves which proved to be extremely profitable. Life was dismal for a slave. They endured many tragedies, abuse, disease, death and anxiety of their fate. Slavery in the United States was a social and moral crime, and a tragedy in the 18th and 19th century because it affected many demographics, used human lives for profit, and separated families at against their will. A common misconception is that slave were not only from African descent, but in reality many came from different races from around the world. When American settlers came to America, many battles occurred with the Native Indians. After taking their land, the natives were one of the first slaves in America. The African slave was popular in Europe and soon thousands of African slaves were sold in America. Out of 11,800,000 African slaves shipped across the Atlantic, 20% of them did not survive, and only 6% were sold in the America; the slave trade increased by natural reproduction. (1) Many peasant Europeans’...
Words: 720 - Pages: 3
...course these justifications were nonsense: There were important kingdoms and great civilisations in Africa at the same time as people in Britain were living in primitive iron-age huts. Moreover from Egypt came ideas about geometry, arithmetics and astronomy. The proofs of their skills are for example the pyramids which are also one of the seven wonders of the world. Different words have been used to describe black Americans. For a long time they were referred to as negroes and often the word ‘nigger’ was used to insult them. Many whites called them ‘coloured people’. Since the 1960’s the term ‘black’ has become normal, although some people prefer the term ‘Afro-American’ as a reminder of their original roots in Africa. THE BEGINNING OF SLAVERY IN THE US The history of blacks in North America began in 1619, when a Dutch ship brought the first Negro slaves to Virginia. The first imported Africans were brought as indentured servants, not slaves. They were required, as white indentured servants were, to serve seven years. Black people were forcibly taken from their native land. They never saw their families or their native land again. In their new surroundings they had to work for their ‘master’ and many of them were treated cruelly because they had no rights as slaves. Millions...
Words: 6362 - Pages: 26
...Although America is the land of the free today, its past reveals that it was, in fact, the land of the enslaved. Thousands of innocent individuals were robbed of their freedoms, and given the name “slave.” Many historians have versatile perspectives on the causation of slavery, however there is one similar contributor: economic prosperity. Because of the cultivation of cash crops, creation of the headright system, and greed of individuals, slavery was introduced to America, and to this day, will never be forgotten. As America expanded, the minds and skills of those living in Jamestown did as well. When John Rolfe introduced the tobacco crop, he commenced a cash crop phenomenon. Crops began sprouting at all corners of Jamestown which placed a high demand for land, and laborers. As an incentive for new farm hands, and other workers, a system was formed that gave 50 acres of land to any persons that immigrated into Virginia, also known as the “Headright System.” This system also gave pre-existing settlers double the headrights, and headrights to anyone that paid for the immigration of settlers. As a result, families began to form large plantations. Rolfe later witnessed what is considered to be the primary step toward slavery: a Dutch ship importing “20 and odd Negros.” Africans were not put to hard work right away, but instead, given false hope of working a term as an “indentured servant,” earning compensation, and being released. Another economic related contributor was none other...
Words: 502 - Pages: 3
...TOPIC ONE: SLAVERY During the first half of the nineteenth century, the South was dominated by an elite group of White men who made their profits off the labor of Black slaves. Only 12% of southern white slaveholders owned twenty or more slaves, the amount used to distinguish between a planter and a farmer. Planters owned more than half of all the slaves and produced three-quarters of the South’s cotton, making these men very wealthy and allowing them to establish the social, political, and economic tone of the antebellum South. The pre-civil war North and South, separated by the Mason-Dixon Line, shared three essential political, economic, and social differences. The North started to rely on industrialization, shifting away from an agricultural economy to one based on wages and the exchange of goods and services. The South, on the other hand, continued to rely agriculture, primarily the cotton that had earned it the title of the Cotton Kingdom. In addition to cotton, Southerners also grew tobacco, rice, and sugarcane. Northerners were in favor of free labor—that is work conducted free from constraint and in accordance with the laborer’s personal inclinations and will—while Southerners heavily invested in slave labor. The Northerners complained, “Slavery was a backward labor system and compared to the North, Southerners invested less of their capital to industry, transportation, and public education.” (CITATION). However, Southern planter’s decision to keep reinvesting in...
Words: 1512 - Pages: 7
...Case Study: Slavery in the Chocolate Industry- Close to half of the world's cocoa is made from highly prized top-quality cocoa beans that are grown in the farms in the Ivory Coast and Ghana, a small nation on the Western side of Africa. The farmers of these poor nations are notorious, however for sometimes relying on slaves to harvest their beans. The slave are boys between 12 and 16 , sometimes as young as 9-- who are kidnapped from villages in surrounding nations and sold to cocoa farmers, who use whippings, beatings, and starvation to force the boys to do the hot, difficult work of clearing the fields, harvesting the beans and drying them in the sun. The boys work from sunrise to sunset and are locked in windowless rooms where they sleep in bare wooden planks. Far from home, unsure of their location, unable to speak the language, isolated in rural areas and threatened with harsh beatings if they try to get away, the boys rarely attempt to escape their nightmare situation. Those who do try are severely beaten as an example to others and then locked in solitary confinement for a prolonged period of time. Every year an unknown number of boys die or are killed on the cocoa farms of the Ivory Coast and Ghana. The plight of the enslaved children was publized widely around the world, by True Vision, a British television company , through videos and documentaries in Britain and the United States. News reports from the United Nations Children's Fund and other form of Human...
Words: 1988 - Pages: 8
...cross de seas to reach in de West Indies” ----- Slinger Francisco aka The Mighty Sparrow I must begin by saying how heartbroken I was on reading the suffering and mistreatment my people ordained back in the days of Slavery. Coming from a family that is mostly comprised of African descent individuals; it makes me sad and in utter repugnance. It's funny how life back then still influences the way my people think and approach their education, family, and general lifestyle. Slavery has definitely placed a scar on the mentality of not just the black community but of all races that have been a part of this. To me the black man went through the most because he was taken away from his land by fellow men or by the white man without having any say. The differences between the Africans and the Indians are that the Indians were brought here voluntarily; on the other hand the black man was violently brought here to be slaves. The “Black” man therefore was stripped of his family, pride, love ones and home. When one hears about slavery; the mind automatically thinks of the white man abusing the black man. There is so much more to slavery than just the inhumane acts that the African man was victim of. It was stages of torture that has the black man the way he is today. Slavery has definitely marked the black community when it comes to family life. Most children of African descended parents end up being a part of a single mother home. According to the article written by (Wilson, 2002,...
Words: 1471 - Pages: 6
...During the colonial era, distinct political, religious and economic conditions led to settlement in America. Many diverse groups of people played roles in this settlement and created truly unique societies along the eastern seaboard, in the southwest, and in the upper Great Lakes regions. Drawing from the examples in your textbook, consider the perspectives of large landowners, farmers, artisans, native Americans, women, indentured servants, and slaves and discuss a couple of the groups of people who you believe were most instrumental in the creation of the unique colonial societies and why. Please include specific examples from your textbook and cite your sources. Answer: Every group given above played crucial role in creation of the unique colonial societies. The groups which I believe most instrumental in the creation of the unique colonial societies were slave and large landowners. Majority of the slaves were black. They were brought from African countries. The first slaves to be brought to the British colonies of North America were disproportionately male. Considered more valuable workers because of their strength, enslaved men performed labors that ranged from building houses to plowing fields. Their major role was to assist their masters in farming. Some slaves used to work in industries. Lots of restrictions were imposed on slaves. Slaves were not allowed to live with their families. They were forced to work for 18-20 hrs. In return of their hard work, they were...
Words: 543 - Pages: 3
...France and England established sugar colonies at virtually the same time in the Caribbean, at the start of the second quarter of the 17th century (Dunn, 1972). For the most part, their management strategies, agricultural methods, and technological innovations were relatively uniform (Goodwin, 1987). After brief stints growing tobacco and other produce, sugar soon became the dominant crop, especially on the British islands, which had developed into a true monoculture by the 18th century. Britain’s main sugar colonies were Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua, and St. Kitts. Many other islands. St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, and Tobago changed hands frequently between the two powers, especially during the numerous wars and treaties of the 18th century. In the early years, Britain and France competed fiercely for the European market, but around 1740, France successfully took it over due to their cheaper prices (Mintz 1985: 39; Rogoziński 1992: 108). British sugar colonies were characterized by large self-contained plantations worked by enslaved Africans. In the 17th century, 100 slaves working 80 acres of cane could produce 80 tons of sugar a year (Dunn 1972: 191). Many poor white colonists who did not have the capital to invest in planting were absorbed into the plantation system as clerks, tradesmen, or overseers. The owner, if he lived on the plantation (absenteeism was quite common), typically lived in a great house that mimicked the style of the gentry back in the metropole...
Words: 1293 - Pages: 6
...Racism v. Slavery Although Western European explorers treated Africans as chattel during the African slave trade, racism did not play a component in who were considered slaves. Racism did not create slavery, slavery created racism. Africans being used as chattel was a result of competition between the Americas and East Asia. The Europeans simply did not want Asia to have superiority over them. Africans were sold into two distinct slave trades, the Atlantic slave trade and the trans-Saharan slave trade. The Atlantic slave trade was predominantly composed of African males. The purpose of these males was to provide hard labor in the fields as gardeners and harvesters. Unlike, the Atlantic slave trade, the trans-Saharan slave trade included...
Words: 379 - Pages: 2
...Dear Journal, I would like to share my experience as a slave on a slave ship during the Middle Passage. Things were very harsh and just the thought of it makes me shiver. On the ship, we were kept chained to platforms in the hold below the deck. It was a nasty, stinky place, not even fit for a pet. The food and water were barely enough to keep us alive. Also the burning heat and toxic fumes caused some slaves to die due to the horrible conditions. Most salves have never seen such light skin which made them think that they will be cooked and eaten. So out of fear, slaves jumped overboard to be free but white men always seem to catch them in rowboats. Some slaves would force themselves to starve to death to end their misery, but their plans always failed and led to being punished by whipping and burning their lips with hot coals. I wanted to rebel but there was no way out and I had to accept my destiny. How could any man treat a human being with such inhumanity, humiliation, brutality and cruelty? During that period I was filled with dread, fear, shock and despair because it is far beyond words to explain the damage that has been done to us. I was disgusted with my life. Every night you can hear the slaves moaning and crying out of pain and suffer. Who gave white men the right to judge us by our dark skin? Never in my life, I had seen or heard of such cruel treatment of captives. Till this day these things haunt me day and night but I’m learning to live with it. My prayers...
Words: 300 - Pages: 2
...Slavery was not just one of the saddest parts of the US history, but the ugliest. In 1619 the world came to laziness and slavery took place. What really pushed the world into the devastating result of slavery? As if the world had a scarcity of choices? But had the heart to open up to random wars over land and stupidity? And discrimination? Well the terrifying history of the US led to just about all world Hatred and struggle. As well on in Life, people adapt to their surroundings, and sure enough some people are used to the population of African Americans and feel as if they are just the same. Although slavery was not the greatest time in world history, it did help to shape the present today. Slavery predominantly took place in the Southern America, the southern states to be exact. The dependence on slaves came mostly from the white Americans. They looked at slaves as their servants. "Slave" meaning, by definition, "a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them," we're the servants to those who bought them. They were perceived as dirt, looked down upon by white people. As if they were blank and had no exemplary title to the world. What regions? As slavery patiently escalated to higher and higher levels, slave owners gradually excepted the fact that they needed a new way of trade. They decided to create the triangular trade. The triangular trade consisted of a trade route between Africa(where they retrieve...
Words: 956 - Pages: 4
...The history of slavery in America dates back to the seventeenth century when slaves were brought to Virginia in 1619. The era of slavery in US can be broadly divided into three sections, The Antebellum, Slavery during the Civil War, The Reconstruction We will be focusing our attention on the lives of slaves during the Civil War - a war many believe was fought for their emancipation. But before we get an insight into this subject, it is important to know in brief the events that led to the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was elected the President of United States in 1860, and this propelled anxiety and fear in the minds of the southern states who believed that the government will pass laws that will dampen their economy and the 'southern way of life.' This was primarily because of the reason that northerners hadn't too much at stake in the institution of slavery. Their economy chiefly depended on industries and factories. South, on the other hand, depended on slaves heavily for their work. The plantations of indigo, tobacco, rice, and cotton (after the invention of cotton gin) required hard labor and the slaves were made to work for long hours so that profit was maximized. Many people believe that the Civil War was about North's struggle to emancipate the slaves and South's fight to continue the slave trade. However, it should be remembered that the North did not go to war to emancipate the slaves, instead Abraham Lincoln, before becoming the President...
Words: 1977 - Pages: 8
...------------------------------------------------- “How accurate were Southern claims in the antebellum period that slavery was benign and profitable?” ------------------------------------------------- By 1850 the issues surrounding slavery had dominated American politics because it was such a divisive issue in the antebellum period. Slavery was extremely important to Southern economics where ‘plantation’ farming had been established and laws passed which meant that all Negro slaves would be slaves for life. In the North, however, they found it easy to rid themselves of slavery and many states began to oppose slavery. Another important and again divisive question is was slavery benign or malignant and also was it profitable? In the antebellum period there were Southern claims that slavery was both benign and profitable. This claim can be argued to be partly accurate, but there are, however, other claims that slavery was malignant and unprofitable. This essay will weigh up and evaluate the evidence under the terms of punishments, revolts, living conditions and profitability before coming to the conclusion as to whether slavery was benign and profitable or malignant and unprofitable. An important aspect to consider when determining whether or not the Southern claims that slavery was benign in the antebellum period were accurate or not is the punishments faced by slaves. It has been argued that slaves were controlled through rewards rather than physical punishments....
Words: 2500 - Pages: 10
...Project 3. The theme of slavery in the WPA interviews a. Interview with William Ballard b. Interviewing Walter Calloway c. Born in slavery: Mary Reynolds 4. Conclusion “Yes Lawd! I have been here so long I ain't forgot nothin'. I can remember things way back” Matilda Hatchett 1. Introduction Slavery has always been the most shocking phenomena of our world. Slavery, by itself seems very unnatural and provokes mixed feelings from the heart of each person. Some people are descendants of those who used to be slaves years ago. Some faced “slavery” even in the contemporary times. And some people just simply do not understand the possibility of one human being considering another human being its slave. Slavery, by definition, is the first historical form of exploitation, under which a slave along with different implements of production becomes the private property of the slave owner. So, in other words slavery converts an individual human being into a “thing” or even some kind of consumer item. This phenomena has done a lot of harm to million of people, taking away lives and destroying the fate of the people who could have been happy. What does a contemporary person know about slavery? The answer will not be very profound. Nevertheless, there is still much to say about it and a lot of thing to recall. It is common knowledge that slavery was eliminated with the end of the Civil War. The South was released from the burden that made the slavery to stop and that started...
Words: 2036 - Pages: 9
