Analysis of The Slave Ship Fredensborg Book by Leif Svalesen - Essay Example

Name: Course: Institution: Date: "The Slave Ship Fredensborg" by Leif Svalesen Introduction The book documents a story of a slave ship in its last voyage while fulfilling its mission of the triangular trade between the Gold Coast of Africa and Denmark to the Islands of St. Croix and St. Thomas. The wreck of the ship, Fredensborg was discovered in 1974 about two centuries after sinking. Through an examination of the wreckage and other written material such as the Captain’s log, of the activities that defined the trade relations, Leif Svalesen, recreates the story through a virtual day-bay day account of the lives of the captain, his crewmember, and other officers in the ship. The main objective of this report will be to analyze the content of the book for the author’s perspective, engage in critical assessments and presents personal reflections in the form of concluding remarks. Content analysis Fredensborg was a slave shop, which sank off the Tromoya Island in 1768. All but two crewmembers, a passenger and a slave were saved form the ship on the day of the sinking. One of the greatest aspects about the Fredensborg is that its remains suggest that it was involved in eth triangular trade and its wreckage provide evidence that it active in the transport of commodities that were essential in the trade. The triangular trade involved Europe, the Caribbean, and West Africa. The ship exported industrial commodities from Europe to West Africa and slaves were transported form the West African Gold Coast to the Caribbean, America. Colonial products were transported form the Caribbean to Europe to facilitate the industrial process. Essential items recovered from the Wreckage of the ship were essential in visualizing the activities that characterized the trade. Items such as chains from slaves, elephant tusks, and hippo teeth were found in the wreck. Through the book, Svalesen attempt to prove the destiny and the role ta the colonial powers played in defining and determining the destiny of innocent African civilians subjected to slavery. In order to develop an effective understanding of the triangular trade, Svalesen decided to travel through what he believed was the triangular trade route from Norway to West Africa and to the Caribbean. This he, believed was the___14 only way through which he could engage in an effective investigation of the trade pattern and system. Throughout his voyage, he discovered that the Norwegians had other colonies in the modern day Ghana and they were active colonizers in the Caribbean considering that they had plantations, which were essential sources of raw material for the industrialization process in Europe. According to Svalesen, there were Norwegians at all level of the community in the West African colony. Norwegians were in the positions of soldiers, administrators, and governors. On the ship, there were also Norwegian sailors whose roles were to govern the ship in terms of the commodities and their destinations. It is through this book and the documentation of the role of Norway in the Triangular trade that the writer gives of the relationship between Norway and Denmark. Norway, in the view of Svalesen shared some form of trade and political union in the West African colony. Norway however, played a minor role in the trade and this explains why they took the positions of sailors and low ranking officials. Despite the less significant role the country benefited in the trade since they were able to imported essential trade commodities such as slaves and sugar. Their refineries in Trondheim and Halden are existing evidence of the toil that the African slaves gad to endure to ensure that the Norwegians acquired some level of economic gain. The slave trade which was defined by the partnership between Denmark and Norway brought about 100, 000 salves into the European and the American communities. Despite the objective of maintaining peace and order during the slave trade, the sailors and their masters at times subjected the slaves to ill treatment. African slaves for instance were forced to perform African dances as a way of entertaining the sailors on board the ship. Furthermore, through the documentation of the experiences that the slaves faced in the transportation process, the author provides evidence of the role of slave trade in reducing the population of Africans in the West African Coast. The author documents of how in order to placate the slaves, the sailors and the traders gave them alcohol and tobacco on theory journey from Africa to the Caribbean. Slaves were exposed to harsh living conditions on board the ship and it explains why a limited number of slaves survived the voyage to the Caribbean. Critical assessment The Transatlantic trade was one of the trading expeditions in history where millions of human being s from the West African Coast were transported and sold as commodities. Millions of Africans were transported form the African coast into the Americas. Inasmuch as the prevailing conditions and times may have necessitated the death of individuals and the capsizing of ships involved in the trade, there exists evidence of the nature of the trade. Fredensborg, a Danish-Norwegian ship is an example of the evidence that exists concerning the nature of slave trade during the Triangular trade. Outstanding evidence is the role of Norway in trading human beings from West Africa as commodities. Norway has been considered as less significant members of the European society. This explains why it is less associated with atrocious activities such as salve trade. However, through the book by Svalesen, there exists evidence that Norway was an active participant in slave trade. This is because they used slaves as laborers in the plantations in Caribbean. The ability of the Norwegians to sell slaves in exchange for raw materials for the industrialization process is an indication that they were equal participants in the trade. Svalesen plays an important role in the production of the best-documented account of a working slave ship. Through the existing sources of information in the ship, Svalesen reconstructs the last voyage of the ship by engaging in vivid details that are important in the development of different aspects defining the personalities on board the ship. Inasmuch as the book provides essential details concerning the activities of the ship, it is possible to argue that there exists a possibility of bias in the way the writer presents details conserving the role of Norwegian in the trade. In the 1700s, both Norway and Denmark were active in matters of trade. However, in the book Norwegians are presented as minor players to Denmark in the trade. Norwegians may have played a relatively les significant role in capturing slaves in Denmark territory. However, their participation in the trade provides evidence that they participated in the trade since they operated slave ports and engaged in the sale of products produced by slaves. Despite the perceived bias in the role of Norway in the development slave trade related complications, the book by Svalesen provided a documented approach to understanding the history of the African-American population. From the book, it is possible to note that not all African Americans were transported as salves from Ghana. However, the book presents details of how different European countries plated a role in the genesis of African American history. The objective of the trade was to acquire slaves from the African continent to work as laborers in plantations in the Americas, acquire essential role material for the industrialization process from the Americas and provide the Africans with industrial products in exchange for slaves among other commodities. The triangular trade was therefore a platform used by the European nations in expanding their sphere of influence in different parts of the world. Personal reflection The Triangular trade as documented by Svalesen presents a new form of understanding to slave trade. In the 1700s, the objective of this trade was to ensure that different commodities were made available to meet the increasing demand of the industrialization process in Europe. However, the book by Svalesen provides an alternative approach to the understanding of the trade. Heritage is the reverse of the original perspective as presented by Svalesen. The excavation process of the Danish-Norwegian ship, Fredensborg, led Svalesen back to the plantations at St. Thomas and St. Croix, which were once the colonies of the Danish West Indies. The excavation also led then back to the West African coast from where the slaves were captured and sold. Through the exploration of the nature and the systems of the Triangular Trade, Svalesen was able to generate an increased level of understanding of the experiences of slaves and the nature of slave trade. Through the records from the record from the wreckage, Svalesen was able to identify some of the slaves from Africa brought to the Caribbean plantations. These were people whose identities and all the evidence conceding their culture were stripped from them on the shores of the African coast. Through the research, the author provided a platform through which respect could be paid to the Ghanaian slaves who were forcefully transported to a foreign country. Through the existing evidence, the book also provided a platform for eh connection between civil citizenship, enhancement of a heritage and preservation of cultural practices among African Americans. Works cited Svalesen, Leif, Pat Shaw, and Selena Winsnes. The Slave Ship Fredensborg. Bloomington, Ind. [u.a.: Indiana Univ. Press, 2000. Print. Read More