Slavery: The Dehumanization Of The New World

Ophelia Settle Egypt, informally known as Ophie, was an African American woman ahead of her time. She attained the educational status of less than one percent of the American population, was liberal and accepting of others despite the criticism around her, fought to end racism, worked independently of her husband, and believed in limiting family growth. All of Egypt’s beliefs and lifetime achievements represent a new type of woman: a woman who refuses to assimilate to her gender stereotype of weak, inferior, and domestic. Egypt dedicated her life to social work through various activities. She worked as a sociologist, researcher, teacher, director of organizations, and social worker at different times in her life. Egypt’s book, The Unwritten History of Slavery (1968), and the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Southeast Washington D.C. named after her represent Egypt’s legacy and how one person is capable of social change.

The slave trade in the North American colonies began to grow in the 1600s. The African slave trade sourced their slaves from many different West African villages and countries. The business of slavery was a growing and profitable field, not only for the slavers, but also for the slaveholders. With the decrease of indentured servants, settlers in the English colonies looked for a new source of labor to satisfy their growing labor demands. The next source was Africa. “By the 1690s slaves outnumbered indentured servants four to one” (45). Europeans largely disregarded the ethical dilemma posed by slavery due to the European view of Africans and their culture as uncivilized, foreign, and heathen (44). The largest forced migration in history (44)

In a world not fully discovered tou can only imagine the amount of cruelty that played a part in the claiming of In a world not fully discover you can only imagine the amount of protein that played a part in claiming of new lands, people, ideas, and products. 5 major empires that helped build the Atlantic world were the british,french,spanish, portugese and the dutch. With may of these empires at their peek or trying to reach it there was alot of labor that needed to take place. Most of the labor that was given was forced upon those who were less fortunate which at the time beingbwere africans. These laborers brung unimaginable wealth to empires but were treated as objects and their entire life were in the hands of their buyers. Its not clear exactly how and why something so cruel such as taking someones like and belittling it for labor reasons could have happened for so long. With my class notes and leads from the textbook it seems thst the forces tgat best explain the emergence of african American slavery in the new world colonies of Western Europe were the influences amd production pf the head empires. According to the class lectures west africa where the slaves had been cultured from was once rich and very populated. The trans-saharan gold trade was what made west africa rich and helped in the production of Mali, Songhai, and Ghana ‘s wealth. Despite their greatness they all declined in similar ways. Ghana fell first out of all three kingdoms. Ghana was invaded by enemy

For slaves the transition to the New World was at times isolating and difficult. There were rotten, terrifying, and sometimes inhumane experiences that the slaves’ experienced as they transitioned to the New World. Slaves dealt with loneliness when their families were separated because they were sold or because of situations where the owners were controlling their lives.

Ranging from a necessary evil to a positive good, the perception of slavery proved to be a polarizing issue. Many northern citizens were indifferent to the idea of slavery, while southern plantation owners relied on slavery to support their economies. After the Second Great Awakening, the abolition movement was introduced and opposition to slavery began to receive attention. Due to political ideals, acquisition of new American territories, and religious influences, opposition to slavery grew rapidly in the United States from 1776 to 1852.

As the century drew to a close new innovations were being created every day. Things such as the cotton gin were being created and as industry grew so did the reliance of railroads for transportation, thus sparking a catalyst that could aid the work force. This was especially important for those living in the United States as it was a relatively new, yet thriving country that was rapidly becoming an economic threat to countries that dominated the world for centuries. While the northern parts of the United States were quickly catching on to a blossoming new century, there was still an old custom being practiced in the south that was widely outdated, slavery. The “necessary evil” was soon becoming a thing of the past, and while the north seemed to be flourishing the south was still grounded in the outdated custom that was long overdue and kept those tied down to it in bondage. Slavery was no longer a needed institution and its insinuation not only hindered the south, but of the overall growth of the United States.

The history of slavery in the United States is a complex one full of many riveting characters and interesting events. Historians have spent extensive time researching slavery and its effects on the country from its institution until its end in 1865. One popular organization was the American Colonization Society. The society was founded in 1817 and had branches in all major areas of the United States from 1822 to 1913. The society found supporters in many different individuals. One of these characters is a Louisiana slave owner named John McDonogh. Contrary to the norms of the time, John McDonogh formulated a plan to free a select number of his slaves that would then be sent to colonize Liberia. I propose to look at the impact John McDonogh has on the Liberian colonization movement in Louisiana, the contributions he made to slavery as an institution in his local area, and the lasting legacy that he has established in the New Orleans area. .

1. The first step towards Afro-American liberty was the freedom petitions that were presented to the New England courts. Many slaves were able to get their freedom as long as they fought for the British, while the Americans still held their position regarding slaves. With time, the number of slaves increased naturally, thereby guaranteeing that they survived the Revolution. However, adfter the war, the number of slaves increased significantly. This was mainly due to the fact that the state laws assuring them of their freedom were unrecognized in the new America. Their measures were all in vain, and the Americans undid the thousands of arguments made against slavery.

In order to begin speaking of slavery in the United States, I must give you an introduction prior to the topic of slavery in history. Slavery has been concurrent since pre-historic times. It has been used in many empires like the Roman Empire, Ancient China, Mesopotamia and the Indus River-Valley. Many of these slaves, men & women, were products of indebt people who sold themselves for money or became prisoners of war who were forced into servitude. Earliest records of slavery date back to 1760 B.C. with the Code of Hammurabi which stated many laws regarding slaves being lost or stolen. Time elapsed as slavery evolved where many Europeans noticed African natives were really durable and had a lot of knowledge regarding raising crop. A

Slavery has played a very integral part in the development of the United States so far. It has taught people the importance of racial equality and moral discipline, which was lacked back in the time when slavery existed. Moreover, slaves were used mostly by farmers and business owners who wanted to maximize their profits and wanted cheap sources of labor.

Did you know that there are more slaves today than there were at any other point in human history? Not in Roman times, not even in 1860, when 12.5% of the US population was enslaved, were there more slaves than there are in 2016 (Goodheart). Chances are, you weren’t aware of this, as was I until a few weeks ago. What I had always been taught in school was that slavery happened a long time ago and that it’s over now and all the issued it caused are fixed. But that’s simply not true.

A slave is a man, woman or child who is the lawful property of another person and is compelled to obey them. Slavery is the system of possessing slaves, which could be either one slave or many. Slavery in the United States officially began with the trans-Atlantic slave trade, it also began during this period in a lot of other countries. The slaves were treated inhumanelyfor several years;it was abolished in the United States on December 6,1865 and abolished in many nations. However, it still continues until today. The slavery which was started during the Atlantic Slave Trade still exist today but holds a different form, trafficking, forced labour, and child slavery.

Capturing native African people and using them as slaves was not a new idea. It had already been going on in Portugal for some 350 years , where Africans worked day in and day out in fields. Slavery was decreasing in Europe, but it still existed. The “New World,” which would eventually become the United States, was not expansive enough at first to need slave labor, but this soon changed. The colonies grew in size as more people traveled there and established trading posts and towns. The Dutch West India Company, a huge trading company located in what would become Manhattan, sold eleven enslaved Africans to Virginia, and the slaves, all male, arrived in 1626. They were forced to work in harsh conditions from sunup to sundown and were a driving force in building the infrastructure of the town.

African slavery provided cheap labor for the proprietors, however most of the slaves suffered terrible conditions from the moment they were captured until their life ended. They lived and worked in horrible conditions. Many families’ lives were destroyed when they came to the Americas, and they had an enormous lack of rights and freedoms, such as a simple education.

Every country has a dark past, whether it’s about conquering land from Native Americans, or mass genocide of a single race. The United States was no different from the rest of the world, especially when slavery was involved. The South had its reasons on why to establish and justify the slavery system while the North rejected their beliefs. By focusing on the South’s argument, this will help to understand why they fought for their rights to keep slaves and understand how the African Americans were able to keep their dignity, have identity, and freedom.