Slave Trade and Colonialism - 1306 Words

The Atlantic Slave Trade and Colonialism The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade began when Portuguese interests in Africa moved away from the legendary deposits of gold to a much more readily available commodity – slaves, around the mid-fifteenth century. The plantation economies of the New World were built on slave labour. Seventy percent of the slaves brought to the new world were used to produce sugar, the most labour-intensive crop. The rest were employed harvesting coffee, cotton, and tobacco, and in some cases in mining. By the seventeenth century the trade was in full swing, and at its height towards the end of the eighteenth century. It was a trade which was especially fruitful, since every stage of the journey could be profitable for†¦show more content†¦Nearly all the leading people in Liverpool, including many of the town s mayors, were involved with the slave trade. Several Liverpool MPs invested money and supported the trade in Parliament. It was highly unpopular to speak out against the slave trade. William Roscoe and William Rathbone were two of the few who did. Roscoe went further and joined with the Quakers, and the political leaders like Fox and the political reformer, William Wilberforce, to challenge the slavery laws. In 1787 and 1788 he published tracts and poems attacking the inhumanity and evil of slavery. In his poem The Wrongs of Africa are lines which retain their strength and poignancy to this day: ‘Blush ye not, to boast your equal laws, Your just restraints, your rights defended, your liberties secured, Whilst with an iron hand ye crushed to earth the helpless African; And bid him drink that cup of sorrow, Which yourselves have dashed, indignant, From Oppression’s fainting grasp? (Chandler, 1992) African’s didn’t just sit back and simply watch the horror which was unfolding there was great resistance. Ships records have uncovered many accounts of slaves rising up against their captors refusing to do what was asked of them, committing suicide, and once captives reached their destination and learned or their fate many attempted escapes. In letters written by the Manikongo, Nzinga Mbemba Affonso, to the King joao the 3rd of Portugal, he writes: Each day the traders areShow MoreRelatedColonialism And Its Effects On African Americans1241 Words   |  5 Pagesthe African people because they looked different from them as of skin tones. Moreover, Africans had lost all of their rights, along with their freedom as a result. Colonialism has referred to when a country takes over another country in order to replicate their society (Settles and McGaskey, 1996, p. 6). In other words, colonialism is the expansion of a territory. It is the exploitation of a territory and the territory being colonized has no say in the matter and in history for most of the timeRead MoreThe Decline Of The Slave Trade900 Words   |  4 Pagesto colonialism was not economically isolated from in the rest of the world. African states had traded goods from Ancient Egypt, and West Africa. More specifically had developed extensive international trading systems during the eras of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. These huge empires relied heavily on the taxing of foreign trade. These nations were dependent largely on the trade in gold and other various resources, but also on imposing of import customs and taxes. Further to the rise colonialism is theRead MorePolitical And Economic Colonialism Legacy948 Words   |  4 PagesEarly in the 16th c entury, colonialism has started with the discovery of new continents across oceans. 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It might seem like an unlikely scenario, but about 400 years ago, this was re ality. European countries such as Spain and England wanted to expand their territories and become the world powers. Explorers like Christopher Columbus, soon started declaring regions thatRead MoreEssay about The making of modern Africa1393 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿The Making of Modern Africa: Colonialism Take a look at the past, our history; although there is only one factual outcome, there are an infinite number of opinions, perspectives and almost always more than one side to a story. I will be taking a look in to the novel, Colonial Africa, written by Dennis Laumann, as well as, African Perspectives on Colonialism, by A. Adu Boahen, and hopefully through this, we can gain a stronger understanding of Colonialism in Africa and how Boahen and Laumann compareRead MoreMEMORIES OF THE SLAVE TRADE1000 Words   |  4 PagesMEMORIES OF THE SLAVE TRADE (Rosalind Shaw) â€Å"Memories of Slave Trade† challenges recurring claims that Africans felt and still feel no sense of moral obligation concerning the sale of slaves, Shaw traces memories of the slave trade in Temne-speaking communities in Sierra Leone. While the slave-trading past is infrequently recollected in explicit verbal accounts, it is frequently made vividly present in such structures as rogue spirits, ritual specialists visions, and the symbolism of divinationRead MoreSlavery, Colonialism and Capitalism783 Words   |  3 PagesSlavery, Colonialism and Capitalism, it can be said that there is a relationship between these three systems. There are many different views on this topic, the main views being the Liberal-pluralists and the Radical revisionists who understand this relationship from different perspectives. To prove the connection between these three systems that impacted many countries this essay shall make close reference to a number of sources. Cedric Robinson (1984: 57) discusses the fact that slavery lead toRead MoreThe Different Impact Of Colonialism968 Words   |  4 PagesThe Different Impact of Colonialism Africa has been impacted many ways throughout history such as the struggles of the slave trade, independence from colonialism, economic and political development. The colonization of Africa played many roles when it came to the impact of Africans. Erik Gilbert, Jonathan Reynolds, A. Adu Boahen have addressed the impact and issues of Africa in books such as Africa in World History and African Perspectives on European Colonialism. The Scramble for Africa became such