The abolition of slavery in Africa and the Middle East can be seen from different perspectives. One of them, it is from the international pressure to abolish slavery in Africa and Middle East. The British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, was one of the most active institutions in looking for suppression of slavery, in India, Africa and the Middle East.2 They pushed to British government to take direct actions in abolish Indian slavery, and indirect actions on non-European regions were slavery was common. In the 'Muslim world' and in some extent to the East African Coast, the abolition was seen as a imposition from outside.3 Therefore, resistance to the imposition of such measures was very clear for some contemporary scholars. In 1869 Ahmed Midhat, (an Ottoman intellectual) quoted by Toledano argued: “Europeans who do not know the manners and customs of the East think that slaves in Istanbul are like American slaves.”4 One argument to resist abolition of slavery in non-European regions it was the comparison with American slavery. Such idea, was shared by both Western and non-economic Western thinkers. In India was very common the idea of slavery as way to relief for poor.5 In the Algerian Sahara an official wrote in 1849 that the slaves were not exploited or subjected to heavy labor, unlike the America situation.6 On the other hand the depiction of Africa and the Muslims as cruel slavers had a political motivation according to Clarence-Smith: “Western ideologists denounced slavery as a root cause of Islamic moral decadence ans social decay, justifying diplomatic bullying or colonial conquest.”7 Even when slavery was not the main form of labor in some African regions, the use of this image was a powerful resource to motivate colo...
... middle of paper ...
...everal political and economic motivations, the use of the abolition of slavery as justification it was part of the hegemonic discourse in this process. Otherwise, the resistance in the East African coast was organized in religious terms, but clearly the motivation was economic. However, there are a lot of angles to understand such process: Which were the characteristics of the local resistance? Which was the relation between religious discourse and secular movements on African coast in relationship with the abolition? Which was the opinion of the slaves and former slaves on the shift of their legal situation? There are some good questions to explore the abolition of the slave trade and slavery in the East African coast in the nineteenth and early twenty centuries. Questions I hope be able to answer throughout the doctoral research.
The first aspects we can analyze is the level of difference between the slavery of Africa compared to the European form of slavery. As these sources illustrate traditional African slavery was quite different on several levels compared to the European form of slavery many are familiar with. Slavery in Africa as stated before can be more closely associated with indentured servitude where the slaves were often treated as a member of the family rather than treated with brutality. According to the multiple sources discussed earlier, a prominent aspect of European slavery in Africa was to the harsh treatment and dehumanizing of its slave it order to keep them subordinate to their European captures. Historians might beg the question why was European slavery different than traditional African
The concept of slavery was accepted as a part of the culture and even in the fields of Isseke, Africa slaves were put to work. “Sometimes indeed, we sold slaves to them, but they were only prisoners of war, or such among us as had been convicted of kidnapping or adultery, and some other crimes, which we esteemed heinous.” (38)
In contrast to the Atlantic slave trade, where the male-female ratio was 2:1, the Arab slave trade instead usually had a higher female-to-male ratio. Concubinage and reproduction served as incentives for importing female slaves, though many were also imported mainly for performing household tasks. In both continents, anything a slave owns, is automatically the master’s own too, however in Arabia, a slave may be allowed to earn money to purchase his or her freedom and similarly to pay bride wealth if he was to be married, the marriage requiring the consent of the master first. If the master was to use his slave for sexual gratification, he may not co-habit with a female slave belonging to his wife, neither can he have relations with a female slave if she is co-owned, or already married. In America, a man may have relations with a slave but it wasn’t very likely, as this was taboo and not approved of.
...nd contrasting points of African kings. While they both approved the use of slaves, Mbemba despised the slave trade and coaxed Portugal’s royalty into ending the entire business for the benefit of his nation. The king of Ouidah however seemed adamant about getting rid of his slaves in the trade without regard to how the slaves were being treated or how it affected his country. The mixed opinions on the slave trade and the identical thoughts of slavery during the 17th century allows one to see the varying notions the two issues had on the kings in Africa.
Slavery can be found from the beginning of time, and the history of slavery in Africa clearly shows this. It started with Indigenous slavery and then Islamic slavery followed. These two were less harsh than the slavery that surfaced around the 15th century. This new and brutal slavery was never seen before in Africa and it disrupted the society greatly. Humans were thrown into triangular trade like they were nothing more than an animal or piece of property. Many people question why slavery ended, and economical reasons and the morals are the two main causes. It is more pleasing to suggest that it has been ended due to morals, but there is evidence it was ended for economical reasons.
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.
Although, the Civil war brought about change for Africans, along with this change it brought heart ache, despair and restriction of worship to the African...
“Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme liberty,” a man by the name of Plato once spoke. Slavery is a topic commonly spoken about through the years of school, however, though commonly reviewed, we still manage to learn something new about the topic every year. There are those like James Oglethorpe who believed slavery was an issue that went against his beliefs, and he spoke out, “[s]lavery is against the gospel, as well as fundamental law of England. We refused, as trustees [of colony of Georgia], to make a law permitting such a horrid crime,” (Source H pg. 280). Nonetheless, there still remained a few who struggled to find the light at the end of the tunnel, few such as Isabella, “When we all gits free, they’s the long time letting us know,” (Source H
The abolition of slavery is the action or act of terminating slavery. Slavery was slowly abolished in the U.S. starting with Pennsylvania. Abolition of slavery was present during the American Revolution. Altogether, 5,000 free African Americans served in the Continental Army during the Revolution. By 1778 most states, including Virginia, granted freedom to slaves that served.
Anytime we hear the word “slavery”, we tend to think of the Southern United States during the Pre-Civil War era. What many people don’t know, is that this horrible act has occurred worldwide! The term “slavery” has many different definitions, and has occurred all throughout our world history. It wasn’t until the early 18th century that the thought of anti-slavery came about. Many economic, social, and technological forces have played a part in the decline of slavery around the globe.
The term slave is defined as a person held in servitude as the chattel of another, or one that is completely passive to a dominating influence. The most well known cases of slavery occurred during the settling of the United States of America. From 1619 until July 1st 1928 slavery was allowed within our country. Slavery abolitionists attempted to end slavery, which at some point; they were successful at doing so. This paper will take the reader a lot of different directions, it will look at slavery in a legal aspect along the lines of the constitution and the thirteenth amendment, and it will also discuss how abolitionists tried to end slavery. This paper will also discuss how slaves were being taken away from their families and how their lives were affected after.
No one in France thought that helping the Americans gain freedom from Great Britain would lead to an all-out revolution of their own. Similarly to other revolutions that were sweeping the Atlantic region at this time, the French Revolution was largely based on the newly minted ideas of natural law and natural rights. While France dealt with their problems at home, people began to question slavery in French controlled colonies such as Saint Domingue, present day Haiti. The majority of French philosophes, the general name given to supporters of the Enlightenment, denounced slavery and urged for its termination. Others were not so sure how to approach this issue however, fearing what it would mean for the French economy if slaves were set free.
"Africa Before Transatlantic Slavery: The Abolition of Slavery Project." Africa Before Transatlantic Slavery: The Abolition of Slavery Project. E2BN, 2009. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. .
While Collins does a succinct job of examining the economic and political factors that heightened colonization, he fails to hone in on the mental warfare that was an essential tool in creating African division and ultimately European conquest. Not only was the systematic dehumanization tactics crippling for the African society, but also, the system of racial hierarchy created the division essential for European success. The spillover effects of colonialism imparted detrimental affects on the African psyche, ultimately causing many, like Shanu, to, “become victims to the white man’s greed.”
There are a lot of causes of the scramble for Africa, and one of them was to ‘liberate’ the slaves in Africa after the slave trade ended. The slave trade was a time during the age of colonization when the Europeans, American and African traded with each oth...