Reasons for Slavery Trade in America - Essay Example

Slavery, in the American continent, grew significantly during the 18th and the 19th century. The development of slavery in the American continent was occasioned by the colonial practices that were taking place in other parts of the world especially Africa (Binder Page 15-32). At the time of declaring independence in the United States, slavery was widespread and highly regarded in almost all the thirteen colonies that formed the United States of America. Though there were free persons within the colonies, most of the slaves were of African origins that were brought in to carry out different activities for their white masters. This paper discusses the reasons as why the act of slavery became such an important activity within the American continent making it highly regarded by various persons. The slave industry and practices dates back to the days of revolutionary war in the United States. During this time, various abolitionist laws were instituted, though slave trade still grew dramatically spreading to the Northern parts of the American continent (O’brien Page 23-75). During this time, there was a gradual growth and expansion of the cotton industry. With the tremendous expansion of the cotton industries which were mostly found in the southern part of the American continent, labor force became a challenge to the industry stakeholders. Acquiring and retaining an adequate workforce that could carry out the day to day activities within the cotton industry became a major challenge to the industry players thus they had to seek a solution. Most of the laborers within the cotton industry at that time were of British origin and were only available as indenture servants. These laborers offered their services in the cotton fields and industry on contractual basis, thus were never reliable to the industry players (Harrie Page 23-85). They had the tendency of signing contracts that were indenture in nature. They in return received payments in various forms for their services in cotton industries and fields. In most cases, the laborers received payment in the form of upkeep. The cotton field owners and the industry stakeholders had to offer upkeep for the laborers as payment for the services they offered in their fields and cotton industries. Either, the laborers received passage from the cotton field owners and industry owners for the services they offered. The other form in which the laborers received payments was through training. The cotton field owners had to train the laborers on the various methods employed in the plantation of the cottons (Harris Page 65-85). They were also taught on various skills of how to manage the cotton fields a skill they latter employed whenever they returned back to their various homes. Other skills that the laborers got were on how and when to harvest the cotton produce with storage techniques also being given to them. The industry owners, on the other hand, impacted a wide range of techniques to the laborers that assisted them in their future pursuits. The industry owners taught the laborers impacting various skills on how to process the cotton from its raw state to refined state that could be sold in the markets. They also taught them various skills on how to identify the markets for the final products and how to price them. All these skills, once impacted on the laborers, made them self-reliant thus leave to start their own ventures (Binder Page 52-95). Such mass transit of laborers left a big gap in both the cotton fields and industries hampering their operations. With the increased demand for laborers who were subsequently charging higher prices for their services, the industry players could hardly afford to pay the new wage demands. Other industries like the sugar industry, tobacco industry, cocoa and coffee industries also cropped up putting more pressure on the already overstretched labor force that became even more expensive. This was also the time that capitalist practices started to develop leaving most of the planters and industry players highly in debt. Most of them were unable to pay for the new wages. Slavery thus became the new order of the day as a source of cheap labor to the planters and other industry players. Africans were smuggled from their homes in African and transported to various stations where they could work in the fields and the industries at lower wages that worked to the advantage of their masters (Harris Page 25-74). Realizing that the slaves provided a cheaper source of labor, most farm and industry owners demanded for their services. The demand for cheap labor grew tremendously leading to the increased demand for slaves. This eventually led to the establishment of slave trade, which became so lucrative within America especially North America. Organizations were founded which mainly dealt in the slave trade. They could organize for raids in the African continent with the people abducted being transported to South America to work in the plantations while others were transported to North America to work in the industries. With time, human rights organizations cropped up that advocated for the abolition of the slave trade within the United State (Binder Page 45-62). This came about after the declaration of independence in the United States when it broke away from its colonial master Britain. Various laws were established in an attempt to completely abolish the slave trade and slavery within the United States. Though this was met with some level of resistance, the final blow to the trade came about when the congress passed. The constitution that was adopted in the United States in the year 1787 had prevented the US Congress from totally abolishing the slave trade as some of its proponents saw it a pivot to capitalism. Slavery provided a cheap means of production, of which the products from the cheap means of production were sold at a higher profit that benefited the slave trade proponents (Harris Page 62-75). In 1808 the US congress banned further importation of slaves in North America. The remaining slaves were majorly descendants of the earlier slaves from Africa. The abolishment of the slave trade further led to the decline in the supply of slave who in providing cheaper labor to the various industry players. The ban on the trade led to the establishment of cartels that dealt in the illegal trade who in turn offered the slaves at higher prices to the industry players making the trade more lucrative. In conclusion, therefore, the development of the slave trade into a lucrative business made it grow into one of the most important institutions within the United States. It formed the basis upon which capitalism grew across the world developing it into a powerful economic ideology. The overall economy within the United States also developed thus making one of the most powerful economies within the world. All these were as a result of the slave trade which provided cheaper labor as a means of production. It was also a source of readily available labor to various industries that were at that time still at their inception point. The trade also roped in various institutions who advocated for or against the trade. The government of the day was also involved in the affairs of the trade in that various laws and regulations were instituted by relevant agencies on behalf of the government that guided all those who were involved in the trade. All these factors made the slave trade become an important institution in the United Sates. Works Cited Binder, Wolfgang. Slavery In The Americas. WüRzburg: KöNigshausen & Neumann, 1993. Print. Harris, Leslie M. African Americans In New York City, Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 2004. Internet Resource. Harris, Leslie M. In The Shadow Of Slavery: African Americans In New York City, 1626-1863. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 2003. Internet Resource. O'brien, Patrick K. Atlas Of World History. New York, Ny: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print. Read More