Imperialism'Race and Development - Essay Example

In the trade, more than twelve millions slaves were sold to European traders. The slaves were sold by the powerful African local leaders as per the order (McNeill 1990, p. 90). According to McNeill (1990, p 90), the trade was initiated by physical contact between the African countries and the new world countries which included North and South America. The physical contact between the American countries and Africa countries was facilitated by the invention of ship which enhanced the Atlantic Ocean navigation.

The navigation of the Atlantic Ocean by European to the Africa continent was the genesis of the trade. Before the invention of the trans- Atlantic slave trade, Africa practiced slavery within the continent. Therefore, slave trade was not a new thing in Africa. The popularity of slave trade in Africa before the coming of North and South American slave traders fueled the business. During the time of slave trade, African slaves were exchanged with clothes and ornaments. However, the trans- Atlantic trade was and is still the largest and holistic slave trade in the world According to McNeill (1990, p. 230), Orientalism has to do with the way the non- Western culture is taken by the Western scholars, writers, and politicians.

It portrays how the non Western societies are biased by the Western society. Orientalism is the art work of the 19th century artists who specialized on oriental subjects. The 19th century art was based specifically on drawing on the journey made to the Western Asia and North Africa. The artists in this field were referred to as orientalists. Orientalism has its origin in the European enlightenment and colonization of the Arab countries. The orientalists’ drawings at that time were very biased to the non- Western countries.

The drawings and writings on the drawing portrayed African and Asian societies as very native and backward. The Orientalism done on those days