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The role of race in US slavery
Effect and causes of slavery
Effect and causes of slavery
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Slavery has plagued Africa and its people for a few thousand years. Slavery or involuntary human servitude was practiced across Africa and much of the world from ancient times to the modern era. Slavery mainly took place within the country but later turned into a huge trading export. This paper focuses on the history of slavery in the west (Americas) and the effects on Africa, its people and the idea of race. Many of the African kingdoms were quite powerful, having wealth, land, military power, and many natural resources. During the early 13th and 14th centuries Africa was in a power struggle, with different groups battling each other for power, land and resources. Some of the first instances of slavery occurred during this time, with the winning group taking captives. Such as in the book we read, Ama. They used to captives mostly for labor purposes but most often sold them and exported them to other countries. This exporting of captives lead to wealth for their captors and was a starting point for the slave trade. The increasing number of West African exports also increased the slave trade. During this time a great deal of trading was happening between Africa and other countries, mainly in Europe. Many resource rich African countries (Kingdoms) traded items such as ivory, gold, animal skins and spices, and in return mainly received salt. Although salt was coveted for its preserving properties, the Africans definitely got the short end of the stick. Thus, draining Africa of its many rich resources, and leaving outsiders to hold a lot of wealth. The slave trade developed in the mid-15th century after Europeans began exploring and forming trading post on the West coast of Africa. The Portuguese, British, and French were among the ... ... middle of paper ... ... affected by it. One of the biggest and lasting effects of slavery was race. Because of slavery race came to be defined by ones color of skin more so than their ancestry or culture. This view of race during and after slavery led to the idea of racism. In both Spanish America and North America racism was fairly prominent, mainly focused on one’s skin color and hair. Most Africans in the Americas faced racism and oppression. In Spanish America racial and ethnic differences were used to divide and control the African Americans and Native Americas. In the United States even freed slaves were segregated in society. Slavery was used as a controlling form of segregation, with African Americans being separated in society by attitudes, behavior and sometimes even expectations of them. Slavery in its entirety ended up affecting Africa and African Americans for centuries.
Though the Atlantic Slave Trade began in 1441, it wasn’t until nearly a century later that Europeans actually became interested in slave trading on the West African coast. “With no interest in conquering the interior, they concentrated their efforts to obtain human cargo along the West African coast. During the 1590s, the Dutch challenged the Portuguese monopoly to become the main slave trading nation (“Africa and the Atlantic Slave Trade”, NA). Besides the trading of slaves, it was also during this time that political changes were being made. The Europe...
Slavery was present preceding the European discovery of the Americas. It was limited to the conquered people of the indigenous nations and it was not widespread. This situation changed with the arrival of Europeans, as they possessed modern weapons with which they were able to overtake the most formidable segments of native tribes. Sickness introduced to the indigenous tribes by the Europeans reduced the enslaved population to the point that new workers were needed. A slave trade was brought into existence by this need. Slaves were still gathered from indigenous tribes, but they were supplemented with African slaves brought by ship. These events helped to forge the Americas into the prosperous cultures they eventually became. Slavery influenced culture during the revolutionary period with the beginnings of racism, this culture change initiated lawmaking concerning race, which started with the first emancipation around 1780. How these two topics were molded until the 1850's, and have remained present in the modern era of our lives will be proven in the following essay.
The effects of slavery linger in this country even today. After the Civil War and even the Reconstruction period, racial inequality and
Race was a very important factor in American slavery. In other nations, slaves would be of the same race as their master. An ex-slave could re-enter society with their past forgotten and be accepted once again. On the other hand, American slavery was closely connected to racial differences that led to racial segregation and discrimination. Master and slave could physically be distinguished from one another, which ultimately distinguished one as human and the other as chattel.
Slaves and slave trade has been an important part of history for a very long time. In the years of the British thirteen colonies in North America, slaves and slave trade was a very important part of its development. It even carried on to almost 200 years of the United States history. The slave trade of the thirteen colonies was an important part of the colonies as well as Europe and Africa. In order to supply the thirteen colonies efficiently through trade, Europe developed the method of triangular trade. It is referred to as triangular trade because it consists of trade with Africa, the thirteen colonies, and England. These three areas are commonly called the trades “three legs.”
Race has been one of the most outstanding situations in the United States all the way from the 1500s up until now. The concept of race has been socially constructed in a way that is broad and difficult to understand. Social construction can be defined as the set of rules are determined by society’s urges and trends. The rules created by society play a huge role in racialization, as the U.S. creates laws to separate the English or whites from the nonwhites. Europeans, Indigenous People, and Africans were all racialized and victimized due to various reasons. Both the Europeans and Indigenous People were treated differently than African American slaves since they had slightly more freedom and rights, but in many ways they are also treated the same. The social construction of race between the Europeans, Indigenous People, and Africans led to the establishment of how one group is different from the other.
The establishment of a trade system between Europe, Africa, and the Americas, better known as the Triangular Trade, allowed for an increase in slave labor in the Americas, and in turn sent raw materials and finished products to Europe and Africa, respectively. Although the American colonies had always had interaction with Europe, there was no interaction with Africa before this time, especially not between Africa and the colonies. However, when the need for increased slave labor arose, so did the need...
The changes in African life during the slave trade era form an important element in the economic and technological development of Africa. Although the Atlantic slave trade had a negative effect on both the economy and technology, it is important to understand that slavery was not a new concept to Africa. In fact, internal slavery existed in Africa for many years. Slaves included war captives, the kidnapped, adulterers, and other criminals and outcasts. However, the number of persons held in slavery in Africa, was very small, since no economic or social system had developed for exploiting them (Manning 97). The new system-Atlantic slave trade-became quite different from the early African slavery. The influence of the Atlantic slave trade brought radical changes to the economy of Africa.
European traders worked closely with African merchants to gain their human cargo. Where once they had traded textiles and alcohol for gold and ivory, Europeans now traded muskets, metalware, and linen for men, women, and children. Originally many of those sold into slavery were war captives. But by the time British and Anglo-American merchants became central to this notorious trade, their contacts in Africa were procuring labor in any way they could. The cargo included war captives, servants, and people snatched in raids specifically to secure slaves. Over time, African traders moved farther inland to fill the demand, devastating large areas of West Africa, particularly the Congo-Angola region, which supplied some 40 percent of all Atlantic slaves.
In conclusion, racism is a recently developed term, whereas slavery has been part of the history for hundreds of years. Europeans weren’t chosen as slaves not because of their race, but because they were in short supply and were less immune to native diseases. On the other hand, African slavery was the outcome of different economic factors, followed by series of historical events. Europeans opportunists and entrepreneurs saw “Africans” as the key to generate surplus wealth, and to establish modern capitalism. On top of that, historical events such as Trans-Atlantic slave trade, Bacon Rebellion also strengthened the position of Africans as potential slaves. In short, conditions developed from gradual technological, historical, and economic change in Africa, New World, and Great Britain led to the institution of African slavery.
Throughout the first two centuries of American slave history, the notion of race emerged resulting from the practices and social exploitations which resonated across American lands. As Ira Berlin studied the development of slavery through the two centuries, Berlin concluded race was defined as a historical construct per each region of the United States. African-Americans endured different occupational, social, and religious exploitations—assisting in the eventual degradation of their identity. Although the exploitations of the African-American, African, and free-black community spread across America, sharp divisions amongst the regions truly defined race. Each region of the United States obtained different terrain, soil, market availability, demographic balance, and origins of slaves/slave owners. Race depended
The concept of the slave trade came about in the 1430’s, when the Portuguese came to Africa in search of gold (not slaves). They traded copper ware, cloth, tools, wine, horses and later, guns and ammunition with African kingdoms in exchange for ivory, pepper, and gold (which were prized in Europe). There was not a very large demand for slaves in Europe, but the Portuguese realized that they could get a good profit from transporting slaves along the African coast from trading post to trading post. The slaves were bought greedily by Muslim merchants, who used them on the trans-Sahara trade routes and sold them in the Islamic Empire. The Portuguese continued to collect slaves from the whole west side of Africa, all the way down to the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), and up the east side, traveling as far as Somalia. Along the way, Portugal established trade relations with many African kingdoms, which later helped begin the Atlantic Slave Trade. Because of Portugal’s good for...
Before Europeans got involved, slavery was very prominent in Africa. Often, one ruler would own multiple tribes of hereditary slaves, who were seized in raids. Slaves were also used in the trans-Saharan trade, many of whom would go on to be in domestic service or concubinage in North Africa, Egypt, and the Ottoman Empire. Europeans joined this practice when they discovered its immense value. They exploited and redirected the traditional slave trade already in place, creating trading posts where they could purchase both materials and people from African slave owners.
Owners decided the best thing for them was to ship in slaves from Africa instead of the ones from Europe because they knew that the Africans wouldn’t be a problem and more likely to conform to their rules and regulations. They knew Africans couldn’t concoct a plan to come together and overthrow authority like the white slaves and indentured servants did. The Concept of race is a relatively recent development. Only in the past centuries, owing largely to European imperialism, have the worlds people been classified along racial lines (Alexander, p.23). Native Americans and African slaves were labeled as savages simply due to the fact they were different and lived a different life from the European culture. Following the abolishment of slavery, racial segregation would emerge and spread throughout the south. The plantation owners hoped to reestablish a system of control that would ensure a low paid, submissive labor force. Segregation begun years earlier in the north, as an effort to prevent race mixing but never developed into a comprehensive system such as they did to African Americans in the south
Slavery has played a major role in the history of the United States. It has existed thoughout most of the human history and is still practiced in some parts of the world. Throughout history various legal, social, economic, and philosophical arguments typically involving prejudices of race, color, nationality, or religion were made to justify the slavery in the United States. The role of slavery in society attributed to the desperation and anger the slaves felt and lead them to strike against their owners in many occasions. Despite the threats and the unfair treatment, many people of color retaliated and firmly stood up for their rights as equal human beings. Slavery in America brought about a successful south but also proved to be one of the most terrible things done by humans to humans and is why slavery should not only be abolished for the benefits of African Americans but also for the