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Virtual Guide | Slavery

History | Slave Trade | Shipment | Surinam
Slavery & Abolition in the USA | Slavery Today

The Onset or the Atlantic Slave Trade

Prince Enrique of Portugal, 'the Navigator' dispatched his captains to look for gold. They found slaves, an already well-known but very expensive commodity in Europe since the trade was monopolized by the Moors.

In 1441, a Portugese sailor Antum Gonzales seized 'two Moors', likely Sanhaja Berber, on the Rio d'Oro coast and took them, with seven other captives, back to Lisbon, and gave them to Pope Pius II (Piccolomini). The Pope, in turn, granted Price Enrique title to all lands discovered East of cape Blanco and, in 1455, authorized Portugal 'to reduce to servitude all infidel people'. Pius II also directed that baptized Africans should not be traded, but they could be enslaved.

"Portuguese might be taking home several thousands of slaves a year, they were still only supplementing the supply of domestic labor fed by an already existing and profitable trade in European slaves. So profitable that the Venetian Republic found its sale of Christian slaves to Egypt and other Muslim countries, indeed, that its merchants had nor been deterred even by Pope Clement V's edit of ex-communication for his offence", Basil Davidson. Africa in History. 1991.

With Columbus's "discovery" of the New World in 1492 and the introduction of sugar cane cultures by the settlers to the Spanish West Indies, slave trading became big business. Africans were highly skilled in tropical farming and mining, thus in these respects far superior to Amer-Indians and Europeans.

"The African Trade is the first principle and foundation of all the rest, the mainspring of the machine which set every wheel in motion… The African Trade is so beneficial to Great Britain, so essentially necessary to the very being of her colonies, that without it neither could we flourish nor they long subsist…" Malachi Postlethway, 18th century capitalist and Merchantalist Theoretician.

"…the African ruling class joined hands with the Europeans in exploiting the African masses; at first light-heartedly and without any notion of the consequences, and then, after the American discoveries, with an eye to their own increasing personal profit and power."
Walter Rodney

Greed became the primary motive of the Atlantic Slave Trade that lasted over 400 years. Some facts:
- The Slave Trade became the largest employer in Holland and Portugal from 1500 - 1750.
- David and Alexander Barclay established Barclay's bank in 1756 with the profits made in their slaving business.
- Lloyds of London became one of the biggest financial forces by dabbling in and insuring slave ships and their cargoes.

Triangular Trade

In the Triangular Trade, ships carried batter goods, such as guns, iron chains, cuffs, yokes, makes, padlocks and branding irons from Europe to Africa.

…"according to tradition, ships sailed for Africa with holds full of idols and manelloes (brass bracelets), while the cabins were occupied by missionaries - an edifying example of a material good in competition with the immaterial one."
Eric Williams: 'Capitalism and Slavery.' 1944.

The same ships carried slaves from Africa to the Caribbean and the USA, and sugar, rice and cotton from the USA to Europe; an immensely profitable triangular trade route.

Thousands of cargo ships participated in the Triangular Slave Trade.Vessels from Sweden, Holland, France, Spain, Portugal, England and the United States had often names like, 'Jesus', 'Gift of God', 'Liberty', 'Justice', Black boy', 'Brotherhood', 'African Glory', 'Africa', 'Amistad', 'Friendship', a mockery to the captives who had to live on these hell-hole floating dungeons often more than 10 weeks. Up to 30% would perish on the high seas.

CIVIL WAR AND ABOLITION, 1861-1865

Slavery was a problem for America since the very beginning of the founding of the country. At the time America became an independent country, some wanted to end slavery and others wanted to continue it because they made much profit from it and their social position depended on having many people they could feel superior to.

The U.S. Constitution - the guiding document that describes how the country is to be run - allowed some states to be free (i.e. without slavery) and some states to retain slavery. Several laws had been passed that made slavery legal in various states (in the south and the border states) even if it was not legal in others (i.e. in the north). The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 strengthened an earlier law of 1793 that made it legal for slave owners to get runaway slaves and workers back.

In the North, slavery was legal for a time but slowly died out as the economic reasons for it declined. New York abolished slavery gradually over a 20 or 30 year period but there were slaves in New York State until the very end of this period (1827).

In the pre-industrial agricultural South, however, slavery was highly profitable and plantation slave owners (who were the leaders of southern society) fought to keep slavery from ending. Much tension between the slave and free states existed and slaves many times tried to escape and find their way to the north, Canada and freedom.

All throughout the early part of the 1800s, many people in the north (and some in the south) more and more opposed slavery. The desire to abolish slavery became known as the abolition movement which became stronger and stronger, especially in New York, Massachusetts and New England. As opposition to slavery grew stronger and became organized, various anti-slavery organizations were formed.

Several very important fighters against slavery were African Americans and their names are forever honored in history for their work for freedom. The most famous of these is Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave himself, who was a tireless, brilliant thinker, orator and political agitator against slavery. There were also several very important women who risked their lives to fight against slavery: Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth bravely led escaped slaves to freedom and served as anti-slavery advocates, strategists and informants.

Sojourner Truth, born about 1775 (estimates vary) in Africa, was brought to America as a child and sold as a slave in upstate New York. She was a slave on the farm of a rich Dutch landowner where she worked very hard at many tasks usually thought to be too difficult for a woman. She had five children (4 grew past infancy) and ran away in 1826 (the year before New York abolished slavery) carrying her infant daughter. She made a living as a domestic servant in New York City and was never oppressed again. She gave many important speeches against slavery and oppression of Blacks before, during and after the civil war. She was 6 feet tall, black-skinned, physically strong, brave and lived to a very old age. She was also a very religious mystic who preached against sinfulness (especially slavery). She also was a fighter for women's rights. Interestingly, she spoke in a heavy Dutch accent but her words always struck her audience as true and powerful.

In the first half of the 19th century, more and more Blacks were trying to escape slavery by running away from their slave owners and travelling secretly to the north. Since slavery was still legal and slaves were considered property, slave owners could legally hunt for their escaped slaves and seek to get their slaves back by several means. They could offer a money reward for runaway information, ask the local authorities to search for and arrest runaway slaves or send bounty hunters to find, imprison and return them to slavery (where they faced certain and cruel punishment for trying to get to freedom).

Many people in the north helped escaped slaves to hide, get food and rest and keep travelling toward freedom further north and in Canada. The secret network of people and places that helped slaves escape was called "The Underground Railroad" which included many kind-hearted people who hated slavery and helped slaves avoid recapture and return to the south. Today, the Underground Railroad is a celebrated chapter in the history of the fight against slavery and is being frequently commemorated in ceremonies and historic sites.

Slavery in the United States was essentially ended by the Civil War - a vast and destructive war with far-reaching consequences between the U.S. government (supported by the non-slave holding northern and western states) and a confederacy of rebellious southern states (which fought to preserve slavery).

The civil war began in 1861 when the southern states decided to secede (i.e. leave) the United States. The starting incident in the civil war was an April, 12, 1861 attack by pro-slavery forces on a major symbolic federal (i.e. U.S. government) location, Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. The civil war lasted four years (1861-65), was mostly fought in the south and involved great destruction. Many African Americans fought in the civil war and several incidents showed them to be good and brave soldiers.

The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, effectively abolished slavery in the United States after many years. It was not an easy accomplishment. In the same year, African American participation in the Civil War increased dramatically and they helped (as soldiers, laborers, agents, etc.) win the war for the Union (the U.S. government) and themselves.

BLACK HOLOCAUST

"The genocide of some 50 - 100 million African men, women and children and the enslavement of millions of others is the BLACK HOLOCAUST." (Martin Luther King)