Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Impact on the Colonists and Slaves - Research Paper Example

Outline Introduction 1 Background 2 Impacts of the Transatlantic Slave Trade on Colonialists and Slaves 2 Conclusion 4 Works Cited 5 Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Impact on the Colonists and Slaves Introduction Slave trade has a long history; it started way before 16th century. The Spaniards are well renowned in slavery trade. Slave trade had both benefits and losses to both the slave traders and the slaves. The main reason for slave trade was provision of labor for the growing Western countries. Transatlantic slave trade involved the purchase and sale of African slaves across the Atlantic. The trade has elicited many questions on its authenticity and the damage that it brought. Its impact has been felt on both the colonists and the slaves. However, most of the effects of the slave trade were negative, its benefits only being meager. Issues have risen as to who benefited or lost the most during slave trade and slavery. These issues fall into three sections; (a) the social cost of forced migration in Africa, (b) the growth of the Western world and Atlantic slavery, and (c) the Atlantic slavery, the slaves and their legacies. All those involved in the slave trade had private gains; the African traders, and the raiders of slaves. The African coast, which served as the export centre benefited from the trade both demographically and economically1. It is evident that the slave trade had a big impact on both the colonists and the slaves. The slaves were subjected to both humiliating and luxurious environments. In both cases exploitation was the key thing. The slave traders had their gains in form of monetary value and the colonists were able to conquer most of the regions that were source of slaves. Background Slave trade started in the 16th century; this is when the Africans started trickling in their large numbers into the America territory. Blacks form a majority of the contemporary societies in the North and South America. Africans in these territories share a common ancestral homeland and historical origin. They were brought into America through the Caribbean islands, and Central and South America mainland by the Spaniards first and Portuguese later. During the same period (16th century), some blacks were able to achieve their freedom and others were born as free people. This means that not all blacks served as slaves for most part of their lives. The blacks at the Western Hemisphere set the stage for the liberation of enslaved Africans but this was not fully achieved everywhere in America. Three centuries passed before the dream of liberation was achieved2. Historians suggest that the number of slaves who were trafficked between the 16th century and mid 19th century to be 12 million. The beginning of Atlantic slave trade is credited to the Spaniards. The Spaniards were not new to this form of trade; before the Columbus exploration to America, the Spaniards were trading in Muslims, Slavs, fellow Spaniards and black Africans as slaves. Slave trade was motivated by the need for labor3. Impacts of the Transatlantic Slave Trade on Colonialists and Slaves The colonists belonged to the community of transatlantic and they traded in people, ideas and goods between Europe, England, Africa and the Americas. The colonists made more profits from the shipping network in the transatlantic trade. The ships carried exports from the colonies across the Atlantic and distributed their merchandise to these colonies. Some of the merchants traded in slaves like the slave traders of Newport and Rhode Island4. By 1660, the colonists perpetrated harsh treatment on the slaves. They turned the customs of discrimination into law. For example, in 1662, Virginia made slavery an inherited condition by making a declaration that all children born were either free or in bond depending on the condition of the mother. The slaves were made the dominant labor force in southern agriculture in the late 1600. The slaves were advantageous in that they would not compete with the former master like the way the white servant would do. Most of the white colonists believed that the English customs regulating the master’s treatment of the servants did not apply to the African workers. For example, Africans did not have any Christian holidays, and the length of the working could be lengthened without any complain from the white counterparts. The Dutch colonists controlled most of the slave trade and they purchased these slaves at high prices. This created disparities in the number of slaves at a particular region. Chesapeake planters did not import many slaves because of the high prices set by Dutch colonists and the unfavorable conditions in the area. The disease environment led to high mortality rates in Chesapeake. By the end of the 17th century they declared that the slaves were costly and risky. The English colonists broke the monopoly of the Dutch colonists in slave trade. Fierce competition between the English slavers brought the prices of slaves down. Chesapeake bought many of these slaves and by the end of 18th century, blacks accounted for 40% of the Virginia population5. Colonists who did not have the ability to purchase African slaves were economically disadvantaged6. The most devastating effect of slavery and slave trade was the high death rate on the slave ships, slaves and the ship crew. The high mortality rates attracted attention from the stakeholders and led to the attack of the slave trade. The overall mortality rates of slave trade and cases of mortality on the ships elicited arguments that the slave trade was inefficient and inhumane and it should either be abolished or regulated7. The transatlantic slave trade had impact on the political structure of that period. The major political impact was the colonization of Africa. The European nations got more benefits from the purchase and sale of the Africans and from the crops cultivated through slave labor on the New World plantations. The strong economies of European nations gave them more power over the less developed African nations8. Conclusion The transatlantic slave trade brought many devastating effects to both the colonists and the slaves. Among the major impacts was the high mortality rate experienced during the transportation and stay of the slaves and the crew men. The slave trade also led to rapid growth of the Western nations because it provided free or at times cheap for the industries. Discrimination became a common thing; the slaves were denied of their rights and did not enjoy most of the privileges the whites had. Discrimination among the whites was also evident; those who could not afford to purchase slaves became economically poor. The trade triggered revolt among the blacks and this culminated in the fight for their rights. It took a long time, nearly three decades for the slavery to end in all parts affected by the slave trade. Works Cited Engerman Stanley and Inikori Joseph. The Atlantic Slave Trade: Effects on Economies, Societies, and Peoples in Africa, the Americas, and Europe. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1992. Kelley Robin and Lewis Earl. To Make Our World Anew: A History of Africans Americans. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2000. Berkin Carol, Miller Christopher, Cherny Robert and Gormly James. Making America Volume 1: To 1877: A History of the United States. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2007. Eltis David and Richardson David. Routes to Slavery: Direction, Ethnicity, and Mortality in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. London, UK: Routledge, 1997. Sharp Pearl and Schomp Virginia. The Slave Trade and the Middle Passage. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish, 2006. Read More