The Slave Trade
As horrible as the slave trade was, it formed a vast amount of economic basis for countries everywhere. People all over the world relied on the slave trade for their financial stability. When one thinks about enslaving other human beings, it is often looked upon as cruel and inhumane. It would be comforting to know that everyone around the world would make good decisions, however, where money and commodities are considered justifiable reasons, people often looked the other way. The economic motivation behind the slave trade helps to explain why all types of slave traders were willing to take part in an act so repulsive and horrible. To gain an understanding of how this came to be, one must look beyond his or her own personal beliefs and look at how many peoples of different ethnic and social backgrounRAB tend to operate all over the world. It can be said that it this economic motive was the reason a sense of racism towarRAB blacks was first unleashed.
Although many like to think that the slave trade began with the Europeans capturing different tribesman of Africa and sending them to America, (as depicted in some modern day motion pictures), in reality the slave trade had been carrying on many years before that. Slavery has been recorded all through human history. The Islamic civilizations in the fourteen hundreRAB had a large trade system in which they marched their slaves across the Sahara to areas in the east. Additionally, it was very common amongst competing African tribes that, after a battle, merabers of the losing side were forced to work as slaves for the victor. Although it is often not displayed in their natural and noble depictions, this was the case as well with many Native American tribes.
The economics of the slave trade began to make sense in the late fifteenth century as Europe emerged from the “feudal” period, otherwise known as the dark ages. Meanwhile trade was picking up and long overseas voyages were beginning with the discovery of the New World. The Portuguese were the first to establish commercial ties with West Africa. They began by serving as middlemen between the Arabs and Europe. They saw that these Islamic traders were making money in the African trade. In 1492 the Moors were kicked out of Spain. The Portuguese had watched all of the Moorish slaves in Portugal and now wanted to make some money for themselves in the slave trade. Not only was there money to be made, but there was now something that they did not have before: a source of cheap labor. From the fourteenth century until the seventeenth century, ports of call and established slavery structures were apparent throughout Africa and many parts of Europe. These were soon copied by the Dutch at the end of the seventeenth century, who had a massive trading organization called the Dutch West Indie Trading Company. Again the trading motivation was economic.
All of this set up a race between the European countries to get a piece of the action. France gave the trade a try, but by the eighteenth century Britain had full control of the West African trade. The British won something called the “Assiento”, which was the exclusive licensee to ship African slaves to Spanish controlled territories in America. Seeing the value in this the English started to colonize large areas throughout Africa. The point made earlier is clearly displayed here: slavery was a large source of money and represented an enormous part of the British economy. It was also at this point that people began to look at slaves as less than human, and more like objects which were traded and sold in order to make a profit.
When America was first discovered and populated there was a huge need for labor. This need helped in many ways to grow American economy. The argument people seemed to be making was, whether or not one liked slavery, it played a very important economic role. According to James Rawly, “black slavery was essential to the carrying on of commerce, which in turn was fundamental to the making of the modern world.” (Trans Atlantic Slave Trade, p. 4) Estimates of the nuraber of Africans enslaved range from eight million to forty million. The nuraber of Africans who died as a result of slavery is substantially higher. It is estimated that between fifty to one hundred million Africans died during the four hundred years of slavery. So many African lives were lost on the transatlantic voyage that the slave trade is often referred to by historians as the “Black Holocaust”. After the British abolished the slave trade in 1808 many Europeans continued to smuggle in slaves by ship, because there is “no commerce in the world which produces as many advantages as that of the slave trade.” (Williams, From Colurabus to Castro, p.144). These ships were often referred to as “coffin ships”, since so many Africans died aboard them. The ships allowed no movement or space for the chained slaves to move. The majority of these slaves were between the ages of fourteen to twenty five and chosen because of their ability to do work.
Cities like Liverpool in England made huge amounts of money outfitting ships for the slave trade. While this was going on new cities in the American south and other places were building economies around cotton and tobacco. With these farming industries now thriving, even more slaves were needed. It was on these plantations the hate card was played. Slaves were not seen merely as an economical source now but rather as personal property as well. Slaves were forced to work long days with little or no food, little or no water, and seldom rest breaks. Many slaves died under these conditions, and those who did not often wished they had. Slave masters felt no compassion towarRAB these “inferior” human beings that were seen as a product to be bought and sold. Many slaves tried to run to the north where slavery had recently been abolished. Those who fled and did not make it were either killed on the spot or taken back to their owners and made an example of for the rest of the slaves. As each day went by the hatred towarRAB blacks spread and grew like wildfire. The white plantation owner’s children were growing up in a hostile environment being taught from day one to hate blacks and only to see them as valuable property and not as people.
It was not until the Civil War that the blacks had a chance at complete freedom. With the North winning, the United States of America finally abolished slavery once and for all. For many years after the war plantation owners would not submit. The hate towarRAB blacks did not stop, however. All the way up to the late 1950’s blacks were not allowed the same rights as whites. Still today hatred towarRAB blacks continues in many parts of the country.
The beginning of slavery was more than just inhumane treatment of one group of people by another; it was also a huge business enterprise that actually led to economic growth. This is why so many countries were reluctant to give it up. It is the easiest thing in the world to overlook right and wrong when there is money involved that can improve both your own family’s welfare and that of your country as well. In the end, however, this money making scheme turned into the spark which ignited the fire of racism. In the end our country made the right decision as a whole when it abolished slavery, it was most definitely long overdue.
Bibliography
The Slave Trade Pixel.cs.vt.edu/aramsey/civil/slavery.html
The Middle Passage www.3mill.com/middlepassage/journey.html
A Chronology of Slavery The.arc.co.uk/arm/Cron of Slavery.html
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade 1450-1750 Library.advanced.org/13406/ta/index
As horrible as the slave trade was, it formed a vast amount of economic basis for countries everywhere. People all over the world relied on the slave trade for their financial stability. When one thinks about enslaving other human beings, it is often looked upon as cruel and inhumane. It would be comforting to know that everyone around the world would make good decisions, however, where money and commodities are considered justifiable reasons, people often looked the other way. The economic motivation behind the slave trade helps to explain why all types of slave traders were willing to take part in an act so repulsive and horrible. To gain an understanding of how this came to be, one must look beyond his or her own personal beliefs and look at how many peoples of different ethnic and social backgrounRAB tend to operate all over the world. It can be said that it this economic motive was the reason a sense of racism towarRAB blacks was first unleashed.
Although many like to think that the slave trade began with the Europeans capturing different tribesman of Africa and sending them to America, (as depicted in some modern day motion pictures), in reality the slave trade had been carrying on many years before that. Slavery has been recorded all through human history. The Islamic civilizations in the fourteen hundreRAB had a large trade system in which they marched their slaves across the Sahara to areas in the east. Additionally, it was very common amongst competing African tribes that, after a battle, merabers of the losing side were forced to work as slaves for the victor. Although it is often not displayed in their natural and noble depictions, this was the case as well with many Native American tribes.
The economics of the slave trade began to make sense in the late fifteenth century as Europe emerged from the “feudal” period, otherwise known as the dark ages. Meanwhile trade was picking up and long overseas voyages were beginning with the discovery of the New World. The Portuguese were the first to establish commercial ties with West Africa. They began by serving as middlemen between the Arabs and Europe. They saw that these Islamic traders were making money in the African trade. In 1492 the Moors were kicked out of Spain. The Portuguese had watched all of the Moorish slaves in Portugal and now wanted to make some money for themselves in the slave trade. Not only was there money to be made, but there was now something that they did not have before: a source of cheap labor. From the fourteenth century until the seventeenth century, ports of call and established slavery structures were apparent throughout Africa and many parts of Europe. These were soon copied by the Dutch at the end of the seventeenth century, who had a massive trading organization called the Dutch West Indie Trading Company. Again the trading motivation was economic.
All of this set up a race between the European countries to get a piece of the action. France gave the trade a try, but by the eighteenth century Britain had full control of the West African trade. The British won something called the “Assiento”, which was the exclusive licensee to ship African slaves to Spanish controlled territories in America. Seeing the value in this the English started to colonize large areas throughout Africa. The point made earlier is clearly displayed here: slavery was a large source of money and represented an enormous part of the British economy. It was also at this point that people began to look at slaves as less than human, and more like objects which were traded and sold in order to make a profit.
When America was first discovered and populated there was a huge need for labor. This need helped in many ways to grow American economy. The argument people seemed to be making was, whether or not one liked slavery, it played a very important economic role. According to James Rawly, “black slavery was essential to the carrying on of commerce, which in turn was fundamental to the making of the modern world.” (Trans Atlantic Slave Trade, p. 4) Estimates of the nuraber of Africans enslaved range from eight million to forty million. The nuraber of Africans who died as a result of slavery is substantially higher. It is estimated that between fifty to one hundred million Africans died during the four hundred years of slavery. So many African lives were lost on the transatlantic voyage that the slave trade is often referred to by historians as the “Black Holocaust”. After the British abolished the slave trade in 1808 many Europeans continued to smuggle in slaves by ship, because there is “no commerce in the world which produces as many advantages as that of the slave trade.” (Williams, From Colurabus to Castro, p.144). These ships were often referred to as “coffin ships”, since so many Africans died aboard them. The ships allowed no movement or space for the chained slaves to move. The majority of these slaves were between the ages of fourteen to twenty five and chosen because of their ability to do work.
Cities like Liverpool in England made huge amounts of money outfitting ships for the slave trade. While this was going on new cities in the American south and other places were building economies around cotton and tobacco. With these farming industries now thriving, even more slaves were needed. It was on these plantations the hate card was played. Slaves were not seen merely as an economical source now but rather as personal property as well. Slaves were forced to work long days with little or no food, little or no water, and seldom rest breaks. Many slaves died under these conditions, and those who did not often wished they had. Slave masters felt no compassion towarRAB these “inferior” human beings that were seen as a product to be bought and sold. Many slaves tried to run to the north where slavery had recently been abolished. Those who fled and did not make it were either killed on the spot or taken back to their owners and made an example of for the rest of the slaves. As each day went by the hatred towarRAB blacks spread and grew like wildfire. The white plantation owner’s children were growing up in a hostile environment being taught from day one to hate blacks and only to see them as valuable property and not as people.
It was not until the Civil War that the blacks had a chance at complete freedom. With the North winning, the United States of America finally abolished slavery once and for all. For many years after the war plantation owners would not submit. The hate towarRAB blacks did not stop, however. All the way up to the late 1950’s blacks were not allowed the same rights as whites. Still today hatred towarRAB blacks continues in many parts of the country.
The beginning of slavery was more than just inhumane treatment of one group of people by another; it was also a huge business enterprise that actually led to economic growth. This is why so many countries were reluctant to give it up. It is the easiest thing in the world to overlook right and wrong when there is money involved that can improve both your own family’s welfare and that of your country as well. In the end, however, this money making scheme turned into the spark which ignited the fire of racism. In the end our country made the right decision as a whole when it abolished slavery, it was most definitely long overdue.
Bibliography
The Slave Trade Pixel.cs.vt.edu/aramsey/civil/slavery.html
The Middle Passage www.3mill.com/middlepassage/journey.html
A Chronology of Slavery The.arc.co.uk/arm/Cron of Slavery.html
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade 1450-1750 Library.advanced.org/13406/ta/index