Hal Wang Miss Cummings English 12 December 27, 2013 The Book of Negroes truly relates to history The Atlantic slave trade which took place from the 16th to the 19th centuries is able to be viewed as a symbol of inhumanity, barbarity and humans’ desires of money. During the trade, a number of Africans were kidnapped, enslaved and constrainedly transported to the Americas. In the Book of Negroes, a historical fiction which is written by Lawrence Hill, diverse distressing events that the main character, Aminata suffers likewise truly exist in real history. Enslaved Africans were veritably transported by vessels; the experiences of slaves in both the book and actual history are dreadful. In the book, enslaved Africans are crudely treated in white owners’ plantations; furthermore, the conditions of salves are inferior in real history.
On board Slave Ships-English * Captives on the slave ships were often of poor health from the mental and physical abuse they suffered. When taken on board, they were stripped naked and examined from head to toe, by the captain or surgeon. * The conditions on the ships were appalling. The men were packed together and secured with leg irons. There was no space and everyone was cramped, often having to crouch or lie down.
From West Africa slavers (slave ships) would then carry slaves across the Atlantic to the Americas to a port such as Bridgetown in Barbados or Kingston (Jamaica). The slaves would then be exchanged for sugar, rum, molasses, logwood or mahogany. These tropical products would then be taken back to the port of the departure in Europe. Slave Raids There were 3 ways in which slaves were obtain from West African Societies: 1) Europeans negotiated with raiding parties to obtain slaves in exchange for muskets, huts, pans and mirrors etc. 2) Europeans negotiated with tribal kings who traded captures enemies for muskets, pots etc.
The other Africans were chained together in pairs and put under deck, but Olaudah was too young, therefore they let him stay unshackled and on deck. In his autobiography he describes the horrific cries of death from the people suffering below deck from the dirty, unbreathable, and almost suffocating air. The stench was unbearable from all
In Exodus in the Bible, we read that the Hebrews, or the Children of God, were enslaved in the land of Goshen, Egypt. Ancient Egypt acquired a million slaves over 400 years as Pharaohs came to suppress the Hebrews. The Mayans and Aztecs in the Americas and the Sumerians and Babylonians in the Middle East all kept slaves in the past. The Egyptians not only enslaved Hebrews, but also Europeans and Ethiopians. The Africans, meanwhile, were also enslaved, first by their own people, then by the Arabs, then by the Europeans.
The second stage of the Triangular Trade (the Middle Passage) involved shipping African slaves to the colonies. The duration of the journey varied from one to six months depending on weather conditions. Could you imagine being on a ship for this length of time? Conditions on the ships were horrendous; disease and overcrowded conditions were common. Many Africans refused to eat or jumped overboard, committing suicide.
Some slaves were treated badly and suffered through many hardships, some were whipped and most were deprived of an education. Abolitionists believed it was wrong to enslave a person, majority of Abolitionists lived in the North with only a few in the South. Abolitionists published antislavery newspapers, books, made speeches and entered politics to fight for the abolition of slavery. They also set up underground railroad systems to help runaway slaves escape to Northern states or to Canada. Abolitionists faced bitter and violent opposition in both the North and South.
Soon , the colonists sought another alternative . They sought blacks in Africa to submit them to the slave labor force in their colony . It was in this context that started the entry of African slaves in Brazil . How was slavery in Brazil African blacks brought from Africa were transported in the holds of slave ships . Due to the poor condition of this inhuman means of transportation, many died during the trip .
The practice of slavery can be said to use race as a large factor in its enslavement of people. For instance, in every slave trade, there has been a large focus on the factor that most enslaved people came from various African nations. The people of Africa can be seen as hard workers because of their lifestyle and culture. Their agricultural way of living puts into light the experience that Africans have as laborers. It could be coincidental that all prospective slave traders flock towards Africa to fill their demand for laborers or that they believed they were superior enough to take those people and force them into a different life.
In past history, enslavement of another was usually the result of an unpaid debt, the spoils of a victorious war, or the consequences of a crime. Enslavement of another human life without reason, however, is a critical sign of the downfall of humanity. In American history, slavery warped from being temporary servitude of any immigrant or unemployed citizen in the hopes of helping them in the end into lifetime enslavement of Africans with no pay and very little hope of escaping the harsh conditions employed by enslavement. Not only did enslavement of the Africans occur, but the harsh racism that formed towards them only worsened their conditions, with the white society’s hate being expressed negatively towards the slaves. Since the time of slavery, many scholars and historians have studied the American enslavement of the Africans to further understand the cause.