Slave Voyages and Trade Seasonality Essay

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Slavery has always been an ongoing issue for human society. Since the dawn of the civilization people adhered to a pattern that implied the exploitation of the representatives of a certain social group to obtain benefits and guarantee the further evolution of society in this way. Various reasons preconditioned the appearance of this pattern; however, it had been explored for centuries and contributed to the appearance of a group of people who suffered from a biased and inhumane attitude. Known as slaves, they promoted the evolution of all colonial states and other countries greatly, creating the basis for their economic growth. However, the merciless attitude towards this group by slave owners, the disregard of their basic rights, and humiliating treatment preconditions the evolution of one of the greatest tragedies in the history of humanity known as slavery. Millions of people were affected by it.

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The topicality of the given issue gave rise to numerous researches related to the question. It is a well-known fact that for centuries the African continent had been the main provider of black slaves who was used by such colonial states as the British Empire, Spain, Portugal, Holland, etc. Millions of people were transported from Africa to Europe and America. However, there were periods characterized by the increased rates of people transfer. According to the hypothesis provided by Stephen Behrendt, the number of slaves doubled in harvesting seasons and several months that followed them (par. 3). The given statement could be explained by the increased need for the working force that should be used on plantations and other agricultural areas. To prove the given hypothesis, it is crucial to analyze the slave traffic at different periods and compare the showings related to harvest periods. However, it is possible to provide a secondary thesis which states that despite the increased number of people transported by vessels and deteriorated conditions under which slaves were kept, the number of attempts to rebel and improve their state was low until the 18th century. It could be explained by the absence of real opportunities and the complicated character of relations in the society of that period. Additionally, the constant humiliation and deprivations conditioned the significant changes in slaves cognition and contributed to the lack of hope and will to struggle. However, the rise of consciousness and evolution of the humanistic approach preconditioned the significant shift in slaves mentality and promoted the appearance of the first attempts to rebel.

As stated above, there is an obvious seasonality in tendencies towards slave transfer. If to speak about America of that period, it was used as a raw materials supplier that guaranteed the prosperity of colonial empires and provided them with the needed materials. For this reason, it could be characterized by great agricultural areas that were used to grow sugarcane and other important crops and plans. The need for human resources was significant. In the months when the need to gather harvest appeared, landowners were ready to obtain new workers to guarantee the further development of the business. Moreover, the high mortality rate and horrible working conditions resulted in a great natural decline in the slaves. In this regard, new workers were needed. This fact could be easily proven if to look at showings related to the numbers of slaves transported from Africa to America at a certain period. It is possible to conclude that at the months traditional for harvesting ships delivered many more slaves (Moraguez par. 5). That is why one should agree with Stephen Behrendts hypothesis and accept the seasonality peculiar to oscillations in some delivered workers.

Therefore, speaking about the secondary hypothesis, it is important to compare and analyze the main data that describes all vessels that delivered slaves at a certain period and outline those characterized by insurrections or other conflicts. Besides, Spreadsheet 1 provides a list of thirty cases connected with rebels or other incidents. They all could be dated to the beginning or middle of the 18th century. At the same time, the number of cases of this sort is much smaller than several successful voyages that delivered slaves from Africa to America. For this reason, it is possible to prove the hypothesis that admits the increased number of rebels peculiar to the distance of time characterized by the rise of consciousness and shifts in slaves mentality. Spreadsheet 1 shows that the majority of vessels that set sail at that period arrived at ports with some problems on the board. The number of slaves on board also decreased which evidences a certain conflict with deaths and severe punishments that were provided for breakers.

In general, speaking about the slave trade and the main routes used to deliver people from one continent to another, it is possible to admit several important factors. First, Spreadsheet 1 provides credible data which shows that there was a tendency towards the significant increase in the number of voyages. It was conditioned by the great need for the working force and great agricultural area that had to be cultivated (Da Silva par. 5). For instance, in 1665 there were not more than 500 Africans in Virginia, but in 1750 235000 slaves lived in southern colonies (“Facts about the Slave Trade and Slavery” par. 4). It means that the existence of the great demand especially in harvest seasons preconditioned the creation of the stable routes and approaches towards the slave transfer. Furthermore, numerous sources admit the great danger of these voyages as the environment was horrible (Eltis par. 5). Trying to take as more slaves as it was possible, ship owners did not manage to create appropriate living conditions. For this reason, the mortality rates were high (Eltis par. 5). However, even these facts did not contribute to the decrease in the number of voyages and slaves transported from one continent to another. In this regard, the situation remained complicated, and there were no signs of improvement. Yet, numerous researchers admit an outstanding role Trans-Atlantic slave trade played in the evolution of the leading states of that period and its impact on the alteration of peoples mentality.

Altogether, revolving around this issue, there are several the most important aspects. First, it is possible to prove Behrendts hypothesis and admit the great impact harvesting seasons had on numerous slaves transported from Africa. Additionally, a secondary hypothesis stating that the number of rebels on vessels increased in the 18th century could also be accepted because the investigation of the most important factors related to the slave trade proved the given idea. The given phenomenon had a great impact on the evolution of modern society and should be treated as one of the most tragic though important events that should be given the greatest attention.

Works Cited

Behrendt, Stephen. Seasonality in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. 2008. Web.

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Da Silva, Daniel. Ayuba Suleiman Diallo and Slavery in the Atlantic World. 2007. Web.

Eltis, David. A Brief Overview of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. 2007. Web.

Facts about the Slave Trade and Slavery. n.d. Web.

List of voyages. n.d. Web.

Moraguez, O. Dobo: A Liberated African in Nineteenth-Century Havana. n.d. Web.

Appendix

Spreadsheet 1. (“List of voyages” par. 1)

Voyage
identification number
Vessel
Name
Captains nameYear
Arrived with slaves
Principal region of slave purchasePrincipal region of slave landing
7659Amelia (a) AgentCampbell, Alexander
Almeida, Jozé Carlos de
1811West Central Africa and St. HelenaSenegambia and offshore Atlantic
25030JaneHope, Alexander
Baker
1756Senegambia and offshore AtlanticAntigua
250451785Other AfricaEngland
25157WilliamJump, Peter1730Gold Coast
25219ThomasDay1761Senegambia and offshore AtlanticMassachusetts
25237HopeGould, Thomas
Preest, William
1764Senegambia and offshore AtlanticPuerto Rico
25287FelicityFairfield, William1789Sierra LeoneDutch Guianas
25327AgnesNicholls, John1761Gold CoastOther French Caribbean
25340WolfWall, Gurnay1751Gold CoastNew York
25352SuccessRichards, Roger1765Sierra LeoneNew York
25404CharlestonConnelly, John1795Sierra LeoneGeorgia
25468IndependenceChurchill1807West Central Africa and St. Helena
25480LeanderVincent1807Senegambia and offshore AtlanticSouth Carolina
25503PearlHoward1793Sierra Leone
25504EleanorDavidson1806Senegambia and offshore AtlanticBahamas
257231715Senegambia and offshore Atlantic
25785Sooner, William1730Gold Coast
25794VenusHammond1794Senegambia and offshore Atlantic
36012Little GeorgeScott, George1730Sierra Leone
36013Perkins1732Other Africa
36118Beer1746Gold Coast
36156Two FriendsHammett, Abraham1752Gold CoastSouth Carolina
36161ElizabethCarpenter, Thomas1754Gold CoastJamaica
36271Frost, George1762Bight of Biafra and Gulf of Guinea islands
36293OthelloRogers, Thomas1765Gold CoastAntigua
36299SallyHopkins, Esek1765Other AfricaAntigua
36573SallyTaber, Jeremiah1791Other Africa
36590AscensionChace, Samuel1794Southeast Africa and Indian Ocean islandsCuba
36597NancyCooke, Joseph B1793Sierra LeoneDutch Guianas
36620AscensionChace, Samuel1797Southeast Africa and Indian Ocean islandsRio de la Plata
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IvyPanda. 2020. "Slave Voyages and Trade Seasonality." August 6, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/slave-voyages-and-trade-seasonality/.

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IvyPanda. "Slave Voyages and Trade Seasonality." August 6, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/slave-voyages-and-trade-seasonality/.

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