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Effects Of The Transatlantic Slave Trade

Decent Essays

The Atlantic slave trade, lasting for over four centuries, affected various groups of people in very contrasting ways. It was the host of horrific, dehumanizing, and immoral experiences, but also of economic gain, adventure, and business. It was the first time that slavery had been conducted a large scale, and because it occurred during a time of need for manual labor on plantations, land owners saw the potential purchasing of slaves as an opprintunity to upscale their businesses. Through the perspectives of Olaudah Equiano, a captured African slave, Thomas Phillips, an English merchant, and African King Affonso I, it is clear that the Europeans and Africans that took part in the transatlantic slave trade had very different experiences and perceptions regarding the slave trade, primarily because of a difference in power, a difference in background, and a difference in technology.
A divide in power between groups of people can lead the group with more power to take advantage of and undermine the group with less power. In regards to the Atlantic slave trade, this is quite evident. While the slave trade took place, Europeans were far more powerful than Africans. At the time, Europe was comprised of many militarily strong nations that had a history of conquering and expanding, while Africa consisted of relatively small villages and no powerful nations capable of defending or conquering as the Europeans did. “Equiano was seized from his home at the age of eleven and sold into

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