The History of African American Slavery

The bristish sent cargo to Afruca to be traded for slaves, which they sailed to USA, were they were traded for goods which were sailed back to England

In this assignment I will be taking a further look into the history of slavery. When thinking of slavery the immediate thought that comes to mind is all the negative aspects of the system. Prior to this research, I was unaware of slave systems that were not based on the long labor hours and the torture of slaves. Granted, there were still forms of slavery that practiced these brutal rituals, where slaves were treated as animals and were malnourished. One prime example of this, is the book titled “Am I Not A Woman And A Sister”, looks at the history of a Bermudan slave named Mary Prince. Another example of slavery that will be incorporated in this paper will come from a source about a woman slave named Semsigul, born in Caucasus an area that

Before becoming a slave African Americans were first kidnapped from their homes. The kidnapping process was fast. There was hardly any chance given to scream or fight back against the kidnapper. Those that were kidnapped journey was “to travel, sometimes by land, sometimes by water, through different countries and various nations” (Pearsons, 2011, 149). The slaves transatlantic voyage was called the “middle passage” (Berkin, Cherny, Gormly, Miller, 2013, 82). This middle passage was “a nightmare of death, disease, suicide, and sometimes mutiny” (Berkin, Cherny, Gormly, Miller, 2013, 82). The waters near West Africa were known as the “white man’s grave” because so many white officers and crews of the slave ships died because of diseases and were tossed overboard (Berkin, Cherny, Gormly, Miller, 2013, 82). While the death toll of the crew was great in numbers. The deaths of the black slaves aboard was far greater. These slave ships were hotbeds for many diseases such as “scurvy, yellow fever, malaria, dysentery, small pox, measles and typhus” (Berkin, Cherny, Gormly, Miller, 2013, 83). The

The sailor that was read about, Joseph Banfield, has a rather interesting and terrifying experience. At first, however, everything is going fine. Then, he was left behind at one of the trading spots by the larger vessel that he traveled on with the rest of his crew. Once he was reaquainted with his boat and crew, the journey could be continued, and it was. Bad weather soon caused turmoil during his next journey to Africa, and it disturbed the routine of the boat, for they could not get to the enslaved men in the lower decks to feed them. So, several slaves died, whereas the rest of the slaves were sold for a low price. The weather caused them to lose sight of their paths, but they soon saw land ahead and disembarked there. Once there, they were approached by natives of the land and were thought to be a threat. Once it was communicated that they were no harm to the indigenous people, they were welcomed into the civilization that was established there. They were offered food and clothing, both of which they were lacking for the past several days due to the horrible weather. News had gotten around that this sailor, Joseph Banfield, was stuck here. Then, a fellow slave trader, and the wife of the Governor of Fort James, came here to free him and put a slave in his place. The man who was taking care of Banfield refused a slave in his place, but his refusal was quickly taken back when the trader threatened to destroy his town if a slave was not

Slavery was, and is, the mistreatment of people as property. Slavery in British colonies dates all the way back to 1619 when African Americans first arrived in Jamestown, Virginia. As soon as the African Americans arrived they were no longer considered to be “human”. Slaves were property; therefore they could be traded and sold. Slaves were cruelly whipped if they did something their master did not approve of. Some slave owners were so violent that they whipped their slaves until they bled and then they would rub salt into the wounds. Morosely, slaves were so horribly mistreated, some chose to take their own lives over continuing to be a slave. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which ended slavery once and

Slavery during the 18th century in the North and South became a part of the normal culture. In the North, having a slave was equivalent to having a household maid. In the South, having a slave was equivalent to a machine that did free labor for you. It is during this time, one was able to see the distinct difference in the way of life between the North and the South.

The Transatlantic transition for Africans to the New World was horrific. They were forced to partake in the march to the sea to start their journey on the sea voyage that would bring about a new lifestyle. It was stated that this journey represented modernity itself. The European’s power and expansion prospered which eventually lead many people of the working class from different cultures and homelands coming to the Americas to give their contribution, but it was the enslaved Africans hard labor that paved the way for the others. In the chapter Enslavement, Brazil and Portuguese was considered the starting point with having the largest amount of slaves. Soon after many of the slaves from Brazil were transported to islands such as Barbados,

Back when there was Slavery it was unfair to some people, at least to the African Americans. By unfair I mean the whites, like most of us would torture the Africans. Some of the things the owners did was made the slaves work in fields without pay and they had no control over their own self, their owner did. But, if they were not doing, that the owners would do something bad like whip them with a whip with metal on the end.

Alexander Falconbridge . White men would also come in the night and take people from their homes. African tribes would go to war with each other and whoever won got the other ones people. According to Dr.Alexander Falconbridge "During my stay on the coast of Africa, I was an eye-witness of the following transaction: a black trader invited a Negro, who resided a little way up the country, to come and see him. After the entertainment was over, the trader proposed to his guest, to treat him with a sight of one of the ships lying in the river. The unsuspicious countryman readily consented, and accompanied the trader in a canoe to the side of the ship, which he viewed with pleasure and astonishment. While he was thus employed, some black traders on board, who appeared to be in the secret, leaped into the canoe, seized the unfortunate man, and dragging him into the ship, immediately sold him." "Slave Trade: the African Connection, ca 1788" EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2007)" . Some slave traders were trading to keep their families. When people sold the slaves, they tended to split the families. The slaves would have no idea where their loved ones went whether it was in the same country as them or to a completely different

Almost a 100 years ago slavery was a big thing back then.Many African Americans were considered as slaves because the color of their skin or their religion.African Americans were working for people who owned farm land and wanted them to work because they didn’t wanted to do the work.The owner paid for the slaves a lot of money.Although african americans were suffering they made it through.To go through that far they have to use leadership,get along with others and most slaves went through prejudice.

Berlin stated, “More than any other single migration the Middle Passage has come to epitomize the experience of people of African descent throughout the Atlantic world.” Before Africans were stolen from their country, White people were trading gold and spices until they saw the value in Black people. “The transatlantic slave trade had its beginning in the middle of the fifteenth century when Portuguese ships sailed down the West African coast. The intention was to trade for gold and spices, but the voyagers found another even more valuable commodity—human beings.” The voyagers realized that Black people could help maintain the White peoples’ plantation and the voyagers made money selling the Black people to plantation owners in North America. Berlin said, “Over time, the trade in men and women supplanted other commerce, and the slaves’ destination changed from Europe to the Americas, where plantations growing commodities for the international market initiated the massive transfer of African peoples.”

Unfortunate Africans from different countries, ethnic, and cultural, was taken from their homeland. The Middle Passage took the enslaved Africans placed them in pairs handcuffs, leg shackles, and leg irons. The cargo ships were pledged, with the dangerous disease, seasickness, and overcrowded Africans. Therefore the Africans were taken across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. Once there they were sold and later work on the European-owned plantations.

The history of African-Americans has been a paradox of incredible triumph in the face of tremendous human tragedy. African-American persons were shown much discrimination and were treated as second class citizens in the colonies during the development of the nation. The first set men, women, and children to work in the colonies were indentured servants, meaning they were only required to work for a set amount of years before they received their freedom. Then, in 1619 the first black Africans came to Virginia. With no slave laws in place, they were initially treated as indentured servants, a source of free labor, and given the same opportunities for freedom dues as whites. However, slave laws were soon passed – in Massachusetts in

American history clearly demonstrated that slaves were never treated fairly, since they were first brought to the colonies in 1619 they have not had any rights. They were mistreated, misheard and misrepresent every second of their life. Slaves were treated less than a human, in fact they were treated like criminals even though most never committed a crime. The law stated that they were just property and that their owner held complete authority over them. Therefore very few slaves were able to become freeman or freewoman and able

On muggy summer days, the prosperous families of New Orleans would board a train seeking a cool breeze and leisure time at Gulf Coast resorts. These excursions often included black families. As well-dressed and wealthy as their white fellows, their growing presence