The Slave Trade as a Manifestation of Greed Essay

Introduction

The slave trade reshaped the global economy during the XV-XIX centuries. As the American continent was discovered by Europeans, the need for labor began to increase. Hence, African colonists quickly realized how to supply this demand and make a huge profit. As a result, the slave trade and a total violation of human rights were practiced as a means of supplying the growth of European and American economies. The primary sources Aboard a Slave Ship, 1829, and An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa reveal how inhumane and disgraceful the slave trade was¹². Hence, the paper claims that the slave trade was a manifestation of greed, where millions of Africans were killed in torturous conditions.

Historical Context of the Slave Trade

Columbus’s discovery of the Americas gave rival European nations a whole new way to vie for global supremacy and, most crucially, for money. The Atlantic Slave Trade was a transcontinental commercial network that was developed in order for Spain, France, Britain, and Portugal to achieve the dominance they so desperately needed. Slaves from Africa were imported to North and South America due to a need for inexpensive labor and a desire for substantial profits.

The two sources show the drastic circumstances in which slaves were transported from their native land to the American continent. Thus, Walsh says that the slaves were “packed up and wedged together as tight as they could cram, in low cells three feet high, the greater part of which, except that immediately under the grated hatchways, was shut out from light or air” portraying the dramatic conditions in which slaves’ journey from Africa to America took place (para 5).³. Not only were slaves denied every individuality, they were, in fact, treated as animals, forced into unbearable circumstances by their masters. This idea is supported by Falconbridge, who reveals that it was primarily the health of the slave’s buyers were interested in; ill or infirm slaves whom the whites were unwilling to buy could be disposed of without any regret or compassion⁴. With a concentration on plantation agriculture and a dehumanized class of workers, slavery started to take on a new form. Slavery throughout the Atlantic Slave Trade mostly benefited Europeans. The Atlantic Slave Trade not only provided the food and other resources that the Europeans needed to establish themselves as world leaders.

The Slave Trade

In “An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa” Falconbridge, who was an eyewitness of the slave trade, describes the way slaves were kidnapped and later sold to the Americans⁵. This source is chosen as a first-hand account of the particulars of the slave trade. The source is meant for a large audience of people who sympathize with the inhuman treatment of slaves starting their journey from Africa up to their often-premature deaths on the American land. The tone of the document is sympathetic to the black population. The author uses such words as “the wretched Africans”, and “dreadful sufferings which they are doomed in future to undergo” to depict the pain slaves experienced as well as incite sympathy to their fate on the part of the reader⁶.

Africans actively participated in the slave trade by snatching adults and children and selling them to Europeans or their agents via middlemen. Those who seized them, whether adversaries or even neighbors, typically belonged to a different ethnic group than those who sold them into slavery. African rulers were solely concerned with defending their own ethnic group, although occasionally, criminals would be sold to get rid of them. These captured slaves were deemed “other,” not part of the people of the ethnic group or “tribe.” At the same time, Falconbridge says that the majority of the remaining slaves were acquired through kidnappings by the Europeans⁷. Moreover, according Falconbridge, most of the accounts of kidnapping and abuse remained unknown due to the language barrier⁸. However, the stories that the author heard through interpretations and the things he witnessed himself point to the frequent kidnapping of people into slavery.

This primary source is historically significant because it shows the real circumstances of a slave trade witnessed by a person who had no part in the matter. Hence, the merits of the source are objectivity and reliability; the drawbacks comprise the impossibility to verify the truth of Falconbridge’s words which have to be largely taken on faith as he gives no references to other sources that may be supportive of his account. The limits of using only primary evidence lie in the fact that it has to be supported by other sources to build a credible picture.

The bias of Falconbridge, in this particular case, is obvious; he is deeply shocked by what he sees and aims to make people perceive the slave trade through his eyes. The account he provides served to incite pity and compassion to slaves on the part of the reader. On the other hand, the author tries to be objective and gives many details to make his account of the story objective. However, while Falconbridge provides some details of his conversations with the slaves, any mention of talks with their sellers is missing.

Conditions aboard the Slave Ships

The transatlantic slave trade was associated with inhumane conditions of human cargo transportation. Slave traders tried to ship as many slaves as possible, which led to incredibly dense “stowage” of the ships. Robert Walsh, who served on one of the slaver ships, gave one of the accounts in 1829. His writing depicts details of how Africans were treated in, as he recalls, one of the best ships. As he recalls, the slaves were chained to the floor by their limbs and neck, while “The height sometimes between decks was only eighteen inches, so that the unfortunate beings could not turn round or even on their sides”⁹. As a result, during the journey, most of the people have died in agony from suffocation.

This document serves to depict the drastic circumstances in which slaves were transported. It is a primary source intended for a large audience. However, the author clearly sympathizes with the slaves, which is shown in the tone and choice of lexis he employs. Thus, the author uses such words as “the poor creatures” and “horrid places” to portray his sympathy for the Afro-Americans. The aims of the document are to provide an objective account as well as incite sympathy for slaves’ fate in the hearts of other people. Since the document is a primary source, it can be used as historic evidence and has limitations all primary sources have: an impossibility to check the truthfulness of the author’s story. In this account, Walsh may biased since he clearly sympathizes with the slaves and his portrayal of the sellers and buyers is very limited. However, I believe this primary source can be trusted since it runs in line with the account provided by Falconbridge and there are many similar points in the two stories.

In general, slaves traveled through the notorious Middle Passage after being caught and imprisoned in the factories. During these journeys, when they were crammed onto ships for months at a time in cramped, unclean conditions, some 2.2 million Africans perished¹⁰. A number of steps were made to reduce the onboard death rate, including forcing people to “dance” (as exercise) above deck and feeding slaves who attempted to starve themselves. Additionally, dangerous infections spread on board as a result of the circumstances. Other fatalities were suicides and slaves who jumped overboard to free themselves. Between 350 and 600 captives would be attempted to fit aboard one ship by the slave dealers¹¹. 15.3 million individuals were in slavery when the African slave trade was entirely outlawed by participating countries in 1853¹².

Despite the enormous profits from slavery, the common sailors on slave ships received little pay and terrible treatment. During a trip, a ship’s crew should expect a mortality rate of around 20%, which was comparable to and occasionally higher than that of the slaves¹³. This was due to illness, flogging, overwork, or slave uprisings. The most frequent reason for mortality among sailors was disease, particularly yellow fever or malaria. The captain had a vested interest in having a high crew death rate on the return journey since it lowered the number of men who would need to be paid when they arrived at their home port. Many sailors abhorred slavery, and those who joined the crews of slave ships sometimes did so under duress or because they were unable to find alternative employment.

The Aftermath of Slave Trade and its Effect of American Society

The slave trade was common in the Westeonrn World people of African origins were traded as a workforce. However, in the nineteenth century, the shift began to occur, and many countries, such as Canada, started to abolish this inhumane practice. In the United States, the issue was present until emancipation on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War¹⁴. With emancipation came increased problems of poverty, homelessness, and hunger in the Black community.

Many years of prejudice in America saw the people of color-treated differently from white Americans. This could be traced back to the advent of the slave trade, which engraved the idea that blacks were inferior and did not deserve any rights. With time, after the declaration of Independence, things started changing slowly, and black people and other minorities started having some basic human rights. Human rights awareness in the nineteenth century led to several efforts and calls to abolish the slave trade and accord people of color the right to vote, among other freedoms.

Conclusion

In conclusion, slave trade is one of the most disgraceful acts executed by humanity. Its continuous nature has led to millions of casualties, creating irreversible harm to the African nations. African people were kidnapped, purchased and repurchased numerous times just to be tightly chained and packed into ships. As the primary sources point, the conditions that the slavers put Africans into were absurdly inhumane.

Being locked between decks, and having no room to breathe, eat, drink, or move, many people have died of starvation and suffocation. As a result, millions of Africans have suffered horrible things and died due to the abusive practice of the slave trade. Those who survived the journey were sold into slavery and lived their lives under harsh conditions. Slavery has left an irreversible trace on both African and Western society and the issues caused by it remain relevant and painful to this day.

Bibliography

Falconbridge, Alexander, “An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa (1788)” In Slave Trade: the African Connection, ca 1788 EyeWitness to History. (2007). Web.

Lovejoy, Paul E. “The Volume of The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Synthesis 1.” The Journal of African History, 23 (1982), pp. 473-501.

Walsh, Robert. “Aboard a Slave Ship, 1829,” EyeWitness to History. (2000). Web.

Wiseman, Travis. “Slavery, economic freedom, and income levels in the former slave-exporting states of Africa.” Public Finance Review vol. 46 no. 2, 2018, 224-248.

Footnotes

1. Falconbridge, Alexander, “An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa (1788)” In Slave Trade: the African Connection, ca 1788 EyeWitness to History. (2007).
2. Walsh, Robert. “Aboard a Slave Ship, 1829,” EyeWitness to History. (2000).
3. Walsh, Robert. “Aboard a Slave Ship, 1829,” EyeWitness to History. (2000).
4. Falconbridge, Alexander, “An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa (1788)” In Slave Trade: the African Connection, ca 1788 EyeWitness to History. (2007).
5. Falconbridge, Alexander, “An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa (1788)” In Slave Trade: the African Connection, ca 1788 EyeWitness to History. (2007).
6. Falconbridge, “An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa (1788)” In Slave Trade: the African Connection, ca 1788 EyeWitness to History. (2007).
7. Falconbridge, “An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa (1788)” In Slave Trade: the African Connection, ca 1788 EyeWitness to History. (2007).
8. Falconbridge, “An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa (1788)” In Slave Trade: the African Connection, ca 1788 EyeWitness to History. (2007).
9. Walsh “Aboard a Slave Ship, 1829”. EyeWitness to History.
10. Lovejoy “The Volume of The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Synthesis 1.” The Journal of African History, 23 (1982), p. 483.
11. Lovejoy “The Volume of The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Synthesis 1.” The Journal of African History, 23 (1982), p. 488.
12. Lovejoy “The Volume of The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Synthesis 1.” The Journal of African History, 23 (1982), p. 489.
13. Lovejoy “The Volume of The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Synthesis 1.” The Journal of African History, 23 (1982), p. 492.
14. Wiseman, Travis. “Slavery, economic freedom, and income levels in the former slave-exporting states of Africa.” Public Finance Review vol. 46 no. 2, 2018, 227.