Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

This research will focus on the Trans-Atlantic slave trade from its inception in the fifteen century, to the nineteenth century when it ended. While contemporary society views slavery as an abhorrent institution, it is the hypothesis of this research that Africans and Europeans of this earlier period did not believe slavery was evil, because all people at that time experienced some form of ownership over them. A European wife was owned by her husband, an African was owned by his lineage, and some slaves in Africa were more powerful than free men--becoming rich and owning slaves themselves (Miers 3-11).

Slavery is as old as mankind. There was never a time recorded when the institution of slavery did not exist (The Journal 3). The securing of slaves by force, whether in war or peace, was a common practice in past eras. Even the tribal warfare, where captives, if not killed, were kept for servitude, is not unknown. Slavery in Africa did not begin with the Europeans. While Europeans favored execution for criminals, Africans favored slavery (Webster 68). Africans enslaved other Africans by buying orphans who would otherwise have died. These orphans were then brought up by their rescuers to render them lifelong service. Similarly, children and even sometimes adults were bartered for grain in times of famine to save the rest of the group--a common practice among the Margi, Sena, and Kerebe tribes (Miers 12). Strangers also would voluntarily place themselves in position

Related Essays

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade: Analysis .... Measuring the Atlantic slave trade: An assessment of Curtin and Anstey. .... The impact of the Atlantic slave trade on Africa: A review of the literature. .... (1249 5 )

The European Slave Trade as a Holocaust Most peop .... the deaths, enslavement and forced labor of millions of Africans from the 15th through the mid-19th century was a holocaust ("The Trans Atlantic Slave Trade" np .... (1538 6 )

ORIGINS OF THE ATLANTIC WORLD This essay examin .... largely financed trans-Atlantic voyages of discovery for a variety of reasons. The lure of profits from the West African gold fields, the slave trade and the .... (2345 9 )

BENIN .... Benin was also called the slave capital of the world in the 18th and 19th centuries for its central role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. .... (731 3 )

SLAVERY & THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION .... The trans-Atlantic slave trade to North America reached its apogee in the first half of the 18th century. According to Eltis, "after 1700 . . . .... (3915 16 )

antithesis of slavery and having autonomy and a lack of social bonds. However, unless a society has developed laws that protect personal autonomy, freedom will depend more on having the power to protect oneself than on actual autonomy; without such laws, autonomy is not valued. In most African societies, freedom was demonstrated by attachment to a kin group, a patron, or a power, rather than to being autonomous. While a change in the legal position of slaves in Africa was rare in the first generation, their worldly success mobility was sometimes impressive. The one advantage they had was a lack of ties to their kin. With no competing loyalties or obligations, slaves could be used for trusted positions. They often served as ministers of state, soldiers, governors of provinces, as trading agents, or if women, favored wives (Miers 22). The male slave, in more complex societies, was given positions of authority over nonslaves. For example, Aboh canoemen could trade their way to wealth and own their own slaves; Tuareg captives could become successful merchants (Miers 28). This was not always the case, however. In some societies, such as the Borgou Fulani, the Vai, Mende, and the Tawana, worldly success was denied to the acqu

Category: History - T