Immediate and Far Reaching Effects of the Slave Trade

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Essay 1

The trans-Atlantic slave trade set in motion a series of events that ultimately crippled a continent, and forever change how those of African descent became viewed around the world. The effects of the slave trade were both immediate and far reaching. In this essay I will discuss a few of the immediate effects of the slave trade as well as some of it farther reaching consequences.

One of the most impactful immediate effects of the slave trade was the effect it had on the population of West Africa. In class, we discussed how the original targets of the slave trade were typically young males. Because of the rapid drop in the male populations, the women of West Africa had fewer men to reproduce with and the population quickly began to drop. Another danger created by the reduced population of men was that it put the people left in West Africa incredibly vulnerable. Men were depended on to protect their communities, and with them no longer there, the people of this region were left open to further exploitation. This weakness was exploited by other groups of Africans who being ...

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