The Transatlantic Slave Trade and Its Effects on Africa - Research Paper Example

Transatlantic Slave Trade Transatlantic Slave Trade Slavery is among the oldest s that spread rapidly throughout the world. It existed in the Western Hemisphere, Europe, Middle East, Asia and vast parts of Africa for a long time. It took its roots before the emergence of any religion in the world. The principles that governed it were so peculiar. In most occasions, slaves worked tirelessly in order to meet their needs and the needs of the lords at very low pay. The main victims of the slave trade were the black people. According to Muriithi, the blacks were not only massively enslaved, but also sold into bondage across the continents1. In wanting to know more about slavery and its impacts one, can try to find out what Transatlantic Slave Trade entails (TST). Traditional answers associate transatlantic trade with enslavement and transportation of Africans to the New World through Atlantic Ocean. According to Green, The transatlantic slave trade was a human atrocity that involved transportation of millions of men and women from sub-Saharan Africa. Green further claims that TST began in 15th century when the European kingdoms portrayed some ability to expand overseas and reach Africa. According to him, the Portuguese was among the first Europeans to expand their demand for slaves into Africa. In tandem to this, Rodney asserts that the Portuguese began by kidnapping people from the West Coast of Africa and transporting them to Europe2. According to him, by 16th century, almost 10% of Lisbon was filled up be Africans. In their book, Olaniyan and Sweet also expounds on what must have led to increase in the rate of slave capturing. According to them, the demand for slaves rose exponentially when the Europeans discovered the American continent; both the Europeans and the Americans were insufficient3. They further claim that the first African captives found their way into America were the Spanish; the Spanish captured Africans and shipped them to America in 1503. According to Green, by 1518, the shipping of African captives from Africa directly to America had started4. In connection to this, Green also claims that TST led not only to dislocation and grief of those left behind, but also cultural devastation. Findings by Behrendt and Rawley also associate the slave trade with the decline of the population growth rate in Africa between 1700 and 18505. In connection to this, this paper aims at providing detailed information on the effects of Transatlantic Slave Trade in Africa. Depopulation According to Inikori, one negative effect of TST was depopulation6. He justified his argument by claiming that it is during the era of TST that Africa lost over 14 million inhabitants to slavery. According to him, the Arabs had managed to capture and deport Africans into their world. Additionally, he alleges that it is evident that the demand for more labor made the Europeans diverts their interests for manpower into Africa. They Europeans captured and took about 12 million people from Africa to work in their cotton farms. It is also evident in Inikori’s book that many Africans lost their lives through wars that were used in capturing slaves. According to him, the forced deduction of over 15 million and death of the unknown number of Africans obviously had a major impact on the growth of the African population7. The depopulation of Africa as a result of high demand for African slaves can be illustrated by many examples. For instance, it is evidenced by the low population growth rate of Africans that took place between 1500 and 1900. It is also evident that the current low population in some parts of northern Ghana is as a result of TST8. According to Philipsa Most people migrated into the interior parts of Ghana not only to seek for refuge, but also social support due to loss of fathers to the slave trade9. In Brazil in early 1610 it was said, “What the Portuguese value most… are the slaves from the African coast; there is no risk of their running away; the people of the country (the Indians) would catch and eat them. They would not do that to the native inhabitants, who, besides, are less fit for the labor than the Africans”10. Loss of manpower According to Cooper, Roy and Murphy, the high demand for raw materials for industries large plantation farms in the European countries quested for the capturing of the African slaves from Africa11. In justifying this, they argue that TST involved capturing of the young men and women who were energetic and productive in the African societies. Unfortunately, the capturing of the youths led to decline in the productivity, in Africa. For instance, it led to only the aged and young children who lacked skills and power to continue with production of not only farm tools, but also food crops. Additionally, Cooper, Roy and Murphy assert that the capturing of the young people who had skills in mining, metalworking and farming halted the African productivity”12. In connection to this, they also claim that TST led to the death of the old and the very young out of starvation. Under-development of industries In return for the slaves, they acquired from Africa, the Europeans produced goods such as cotton cloth. This halted the growth of the cotton industry in Africa. According to Juang and Morrissette, this was also true of other productive industries such as metalworking and mining13. As a result of depopulation of Africa, African industries did not grow, while the European industries cropped. In their book, Juang and Morrissette also argue that the human and other materials collected from Africa contributed immensely to the industrial development and wealth of Europe14. Additionally, they claim that the intercommunity wars that were aimed at escaping slavery made the trade activities that were taking place between communities to stop, and, as a result made Africans to become more dependent on the Europeans. According to their argument, it is also evident that TST exposed and created conducive conditions for other Europeans to conquer Africa. In connection to this, Juang and Morrissette claim that the colonization of Africa as a result of the slave trade also contributed to the underdevelopment of Africa. In his book “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” Rodney also claims that the slave trade significantly hampered with African economies. He begins by arguing that the slave trade made many potential Africans to prefer slave raiding to state-building15. According to him, slave trade encouraged the capture of Africans for sale and dispirited the urge of capturing land for cultivation. Through his writing, it also evident that slave trade discouraged the cultivation of citizenry that would have contributed to the collection of taxes for development. Citing Rodney, “there have been times in history when social groups have grown stronger by raiding their neighbors for women, cattle, and goods, because they then use the “booty” from the raids for the benefits of their own community. Slaving in Africa did not even have that redeeming value. Captives were shipped outside instead of being utilized within any given African community for creating wealth from nature16.” Additionally, he also said that, “if the prisoners were to develop into a true serf class, then those prisoners would have had to be guaranteed the right to remain fixed on the soil and protected from sale.17” Looking at the land terrain of Africa and the correlation of the current GDP and that of centuries ago TST took place, Rodney arguments are justifiable. This is also evidenced in Nunn’s writing. According to Nunn, slave trade had a very significant negative effect on economic advancement in Africa. In justifying his argument, Nunn provided preliminary facts that implied that the slave trade took place because of increased ethnic diversity and weak political structures18. According to him, studies that have been carried out in Africa also support that ethnic diversity and weak political structures have contributed to Africa’s poor economic development. Perhaps long-term slave raiding led to the increase of the cultural value that advocated distinguishing of friend from foe. In tandem to this, Olaniyan and Sweet also claim that the voracious practice in Africa led to the emergence of political and military challenges to those who were in authority. Unfortunately, increase in challenges made ethnic stratification become stronger and, as a result made things to fall apart. The GDP of Africa in 18th century was extremely thin because of extensive production of slaves. According to Olaniyan and Sweet, the rapid and extreme changes that African communities were experiencing were as a result of TST that made many business persons in Africa not to plan for the future and, as a result halting the development of Africa. Social life In his writing, Rodney associated TST with slave production. According to him, slave production involved production of social death, a practice that was well portrayed by TST19. According to Rodney, slave production was a violent process that involved bringing a person to the brink of death, spared and then ritualistically put that person to social death by confining the whole of his or her life to another person. From his argument, it is evident that the social death leaves a mark not only on social outcomes, but also institutions. Unfortunately, some marks tend to have lasting repercussions for the development. First, it is evident that the slave raiding contributed immensely towards disruption of social life of Africans in general. Where slave raiding was often, distinguishing of the ethnic boundaries was a problem. Most people found it hard to distinguish an insider from an outsider. According to Rodney, the detrimental effects of the slave trade arose because the capture of the slaves also involved Africans raiding their fellow Africans20. According to him, the most employed method of acquiring slaves involved the raiding of villages or states. Where groups of villages had united and formed federations, were torn apart by the raids. Majority of the societies became hostile to each other. In connection to this, Nunn claims that the extensive slave trade led to the emergence of ethnic and local conflicts that hampered with the peace that coexisted among the people of different societies21. Because the slave trade led to the decline of the ties between communities, they also hampered with the formation of broader ethnic identities. Therefore, the slave trade may be one of the important factors that contributed to the ethnic fractionalization portrayed today. “It is also the key determinant of social cohesion, domestic institutions, domestic policies, and the quality of government.”22 According to Nunn, ethnic fractionalization has also the potential of reducing the allocation of public funds, which has the possibility of halting development. Currently, most Africans practice racism. This is as a result of what was inoculated into Africans during the period of TST. During that time, the Europeans thought of Africans as an inferior race; they treated them as objects. The weakening of states According to Walsh, the conflict between societies, triggered by the external demand for labor, led to the rise in insecurity23. In connection to this, Walsh argues that the high rate of insecurity made communities require weapons such as spears and firearms in order to defend themselves. Unfortunately, most of the weapons originated from the Europeans; most people were enslaved by their fellow Africans via local kidnappings. According to Walsh, the possessions of arms by the Africans led to the rise of conflicts among communities resulting to political instability. Additionally, Behrendt and Rawley claim that TST also led to betrayal of the alliances that coexisted between leaders leading to some kingdoms that supported the trade to develop more than others24. For instance, the kings of Benin and Congo took part in the selling of their own people so that they can satisfy their selfish need for wealth that was assured to them by the European traders. Loss of culture The people Africa are known to be good in observing preserving culture. Majority of them believe that their ancestors demand them to follow certain doctrines in life. Going against some social norms is observed as a taboo. For instance, it is evident that Africans eat certain types of foods. Additionally, it is evident that Africans adore the position of a man in the family. Unfortunately, the TST hampered with the cultural practice of the Africans25. Majority of the Europeans indulged in the raping of the African women. It is also evident that the majority of the men were tortured in the front of their wives and children. For example, majority of them were stripped naked before transportation to European countries. According to the African culture, it is wrong for a child to see his or her parents naked. The mode of dressing for the Africans was also unique; women and men dressed differently26. However, the invasion of the Europeans via TST led to the Africans changing their ways of dressing. Both men and women wrapped cloths over their lower abdomen; men and women exposed their body parts to each other. The language of the Africans was also corrupted by the coming of the Europeans. The language of many Africans was mixed with foreign languages resulting to the formation of new languages. For instance, it led to the introduction of Swahili language. The TST also led to the birth of unwanted children; some of the European traders raped African women and put them into parent-hood. Christianity was also introduced via the TST. Majority of the Europeans were Christians; they advocated observance of Christianity as a luring practice in order to capture Africans. The low number of men as a result of deportation as slaves made many women seeks for the support of other men; it led to the advancement of polygamy practice. Positive effects of Transatlantic Slave Trade “Despite causing political and social disruptions and deteriorating domestic institutions, there is some evidence relating TST with the strengthening and consolidation of networks of exchange and credit.”27 The successive transportation of the slaves did not rely on only political hostility and instability, but also on a strong commercial system. It is through that strong industrial network that Africa trades with European countries currently. Additionally, it is apparent that the slave trade led to the bringing in of crops such as maize, groundnuts and manioc to Africa. These crops were introduced into Africa as foods of the Europeans when the agricultural production of Africa went down because of losing of laborers and increase in insecurity. The high number of ports in the coast of Africa is as a result of the TST. The ports contribute immensely towards the economy of Africa by boosting shipping industry. For instance, they generate more income by letting more ships take part in the transportation of people and materials across the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, they lead to the creation of more jobs for the Africans who reside at the coastal areas. Although TST led to the loss of many African cultural practices, it is apparent that it also resulted to cultural diversity. The Africans had a chance of learning new cultural practices from the European traders. TST also led to the introduction of new minds and ideas via hybridization; some of the Europeans fathered many African children. Although TST led to instability, it also contributed towards political expansion in Africa. It achieved this by introducing ammunitions in active areas such as Central and West Africa which boosted the political supremacy of some tribes. Conclusion In conclusion, slavery is among the oldest institutions that spread rapidly throughout the world. Its main victims were the black people. A good example of slave trade that took place in Africa is Transatlantic Slave Trade. The transatlantic slave trade was a human atrocity that involved transportation of millions of men and women from sub-Saharan Africa across the Atlantic Ocean. TST led to the depopulation of Africa, loss of manpower, and Under-development of industries in Africa. In addition to affecting the cultural practices of the Africans, it also hampered with their social life. Additionally, it led to the destabilizations of African states through creating amenity between the communities in Africa. Despite contributing extremely negatively to Africa, TST also had some few advantages. The high number of ports in the coast of Africa is as a result of the TST. It also led to the growth of trade networks that aid in exchange of goods between nations. 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