The Atlantic Slave Trade

They settled on acquiring African slaves due to a number of reasons; The African slaves were more stronger and immune to a number of diseases in Europe and America, the Africans had no friends and family in America hence it was not easy for them to form alliances or to escape, they provided a permanent and a cheap source of labor, and most of them had worked on farms before in their native lands. In addition, there were also white slaves for cheap labor. Slave trade grew gradually when it began in 1600's. As the demand for labor in the colonies increased, a number of plantation owners resorted to slave labor. These plantation owners used s... ... middle of paper ... ...ution of slavery in America began with the European colonialists who established their colonies in various parts of America.

Scholars have argued whether the history of Africa was controlled by outside forces like Europe, or if it was done by African societies involved in the slave trade. Walter Rodney provides one side of the debate. He believes that Africa was in a more fragile economical and political state throughout the slave trade, which caused the Atlantic Slave Trade to influence their history dramatically. The societies were put in a position where they were unable to stop the slave trade from continuing. Africa lost many opportunities in development because of outside forces and the slave trade; they were simply too fragile to fight back.

Initially, a small amount of African people were captured to become a slave but after the developments of the agriculture in the Caribbean colonies and American mainland, captured Africans begin to grow. During the 16th through 19th century, most European colonies in America required enslaved African labor to survive and develop their economy because European laborers did not suitable for climate and they dealt with tropic diseases, even some of them died from diseases which came from Europe. However, African laborers were suitable for conditions in terms of being used to tropical climate and resistant to diseases and having experience of

The slave trade was already in operation on the African continent. Coastal cities there often enslaved inland peoples so it was not difficult to obtain the stock and export them to the Americas. Slaves in the mining regions were subject to harsh, isolated conditions. There were few females and little or no community amongst the slaves. Some of the workers did have access to money and as a result could negotiate there freedom for a price.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, African American slaves lived in all of England's North American colonies. Although, the number of African American slaves grew slowly at first, by the 1680s they were essential to the economy of Virginia. Before Great Britain prohibited its subjects from participating in the slave trade, between 600,000 and 650,000 Africans had been forcibly transported to North America. The effects of the institutionalization of slavery in America are still felt today. It is difficult to think of an element of society not affected by the historical reality of slavery.

The Transatlantic Slave Trade was a service that transported around twelve and a half million men, women, and children to be bought and sold as slaves by countries mostly in the New World, like the United States of America. (The Transatlantic Slave Trade) The Portuguese were the first to bring African slaves over to the new world, but it quickly caught on over the years. Around 80% of the slaves that came across the Atlantic ended up in Brazil or the Caribbean Islands while only 7% wound up in the United States. (Ross) With the climate being completely different in South America, Europeans found it extremely hard to work and were not used to the living conditions so they contracted diseases. Unlike Europeans, the African slaves were capable of handling the climate and were used to working hard.

The debate over the economic advantages of slavery in the South has raged ever since the first slaves began working in the cotton fields of the Southern States. Initially, the wealth of the New World was in the form of raw materials and agricultural goods such as cotton, sugar, and tobacco. Slavery, without a doubt, had its profitable aspects prior to the Civil War. However, this postulation began to change as abolitionists claimed the land of the Southern Plantations was overworked and the potential income of slaves was lower than that of white people who had a vested interest in the productivity and success of the South. The concept of slavery had been brought over to America by the ideals of British Mercantilism which called for strict regulation of the state and its people for the good of the national economy.

Slavery was like an addiction that the south could not break. Although it provided economic benefits to both the north and the south, the addiction or “curse” bound the people to the downfalls of slavery as well. Slavery created an oligarchy of which a small aristocracy of slave-owners would dominate political, economic, and social affairs of both blacks and whites. The institutions negative impact on the South, and even the entire nation would eventually lead to a great tragedy: the civil war. Although the institution of slavery oppressed enslaved individuals, the effects were felt beyond the large slave population.

The plantation owners had all the land and resources, but no one to work on their grounds long term. Throughout the years 1607-1775, slavery rose as an important contributor to the South’s economy due to social, geographic and economic aspects. Slavery affected the South’s social structure because the southern elite enjoyed being at the top of the ranks. Although slavery was originally started for economic reasons, social components regarding slavery soon became important to the southern colonists (red). Land and slave owners were at the top of these ranks, and then came poor farmers, and then slaves at the bottom.

Although Vasco da Gama was not slave trader, he was involved with the Portuguese who made profits from slavery. The slavery system was devastating result of colonization to Africans, but their contributions changed the lives of Europeans during the Renaissance. The slave trade reduced the labor costs and workers to complete hard tasks. As a result, these changes help Europeans to spend their money on other important missions like trades and conversions. Slavery was only beneficial to Europe while damaging many small African communities.