ACS Test 2 Flashcards
Describe the difference between an Indentured Servant and a Chattel slave.
An indentured servant is a person who consensually signs a contract for a specific period of time where they work for someone else, compared to a chattel slave, which is a person who has no rights or freedoms, is considered to be the property of another person and can be bequeathed, bought or sold whenever that person wishes.
According to the text - page 72 - how many Africans were involved in the East and Transatlantic slave trade?
According to the text, there was between 8 million and 17 million Africans involved in the East African trade and over 20 million in the Transatlantic slave trad.e.
Why might it be difficult to determine with certainty how many people were involved?
It might be difficult to determine with certainty how many people were involved in the slave trades because when the enslaved people were on the boats, many died and their bodies were thrown overboard. This is just one example of how many enslaved people couldn’t be accounted for, therefore providing issues in the true amount of people involved.
Why were many of the older villagers killed off during the raids of the East African Slave Trade?
During the raids of the East African slave trade, many of the older villagers were killed off because they would not have been able to endure the long marches and they also wouldn’t have been able to do much work, making them useless in their captors eyes.
Explain why women and boys were preferred for this trade?
Women were preferred for this trade because they had the ability to produce children, even against their will and they also were captured for the young men. Boys were also preferred for this trade because they were able to work as labourers, servants and soldiers. Additionally, the boys that were eunuchs were able to serve as guards, tutors or watch over the women in the harems.
What happened that caused the East African Slave Trade to expand in the 18th century?
The change of focus from domestic slavery to estate slavery caused the East African slave trade to expand in the 18th century. This is because the growing population in Europe demanded more workers in order to produce food, along with other factors.
When did the East African Slave Trade end? Why?
The East African slave trade ended in the earlier decades of the 20th century. It ended because different economical factors meant that the trade was no longer profitable. The trade did not end due to people realizing their wrongs, the action was simply profit based.
In the East African Slave Trade, it was illegal to enslave someone who was a muslim. How might this have affected the spread of Islam through Africa. Explain your reasoning.
Since it was illegal to enslave someone who was a muslim, this would have caused the spread of Islam through Africa to increase because Africans wouldn’t want to be enslaved and becoming a muslim would be a way to stay safe.
Who are the key players in the slave trade?
The Africans, the Portuguese, the Spanish, the Dutch, the French, and the British.
Describe the Africans involvement in the slave trade.
The involvement of the Africans in the slave trade was generally standoffish at first. Obviously, most African people were against the enslavement and trading of their people. However, some did not. Notably, rulers of the kingdoms Asante, Dahomey, Oyo and Benin had a large role in specifically the transatlantic trade of African people. They controlled the building of trade posts, the terms of trade and otherwise. Additionally, they also engaged in trading their own people for powerful firearms to use in combat with their enemies. There were also several other motives, like greed or the desire to defend their people from enemies. Contrarily, most Africans were taken in the slave trade, either through raids or other methods. The Africans participating in the slave trade were in the minority, as the vast majority of Africans fell victim to the trade.
Describe the Portuguese involvement in the slave trade.
The Portuguese played their own role in the slave trade. They started off kidnapping Africans off the coast of Cape Bojador and it only grew from there. They then set up factories (trading posts) where they would take the sugar that they had the African people harvest on the plantations, to trade for gold. Eventually, Europeans brought foreign disease to the colony, effectively wiping them out. This made the local population unsuitable for being a reliable and growing supply of cheap labour.
Describe the Spanish involvement in the slave trade.
One spaniard who had a unique role in the transatlantic slave trade is Christopher Columbus. He arrived in what is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic and tried to enslave the locals (the Tainos people). Naturally, they resisted and so he turned to more brute force. Eventually, he enslaved them and forced them to aid in his quest for gold. Soon enough, this quest expanded and the Spaniards needed more workers but local populations had been either wiped out by the Europeans or by the Europeans’ illnesses. This ties into the transatlantic slave trade because they then traded asientos for African workers/enslaved people to help in the search for gold and silver.
Describe the Dutch involvement in the slave trade.
Although late to the trade, the Dutch still had their own role to play in the transatlantic trade of enslaved African people. They had set up trading posts in Africa when they ended up having a conflict with the Portuguese. The Dutch came out on top. This ended with them becoming stronger and replacing the Portuguese as the largest power in the trade. One critical moment in their timeline was being the first to transport Africans to North America, bringing them to what is now known as New York. These enslaved Africans worked on building several things like roads, houses and most notably walls. One particular fence built by these workers is where Wall Street got its name.
Describe the French involvement in the slave trade.
The main motivation behind the French joining the slave trade was to exploit the resources of Carribean colonies. They also delivered approximately 1.6 million enslaved African people to the several colonies in the Caribbean. Additionally, in New France (or Quebec), enslaved Africans worked as mainly domestic workers. Eventually, once Britain controlled New France, the enslaved Africans were transferred to the power of British rule, where they remained enslaved.
Describe the British involvement in the slave trade.
The relation of the British to the slave trade is very complex. In the 1560s, some Africans were captured to be sold however, the British generally didn’t participate in the slave trade until the mid-1600s. At that point in time, plantations became vastly popular, specifically sugar, coffee and tobacco plantations, and these plantations needed workers. And these workers would end up being the enslaved Africans. The British became a powerhouse of trade for many, many years, eventually going on to lead the world in the trafficking of human lives in the 18th century. In later years in British North America, most enslaved people worked as domestic workers. Some also fled with the Loyalists following the American Declaration of Independence. Those who didn’t flee remained enslaved until slavery was made illegal. Overall, the British played a very significant role in economic and other aspects of the trade in enslaved African people.
Outline the worst feature of being a slave? Give specific details.
Some of the worst features of being a slave were being sold and the treatment they received from their owners. When they were sold, they experienced horrific scrambles where buyers would simply grab however many slaves they wanted. As mentioned in the text, during some auctions they would be forced to allow buyers to inspect them and examine their jaws and teeth. The other terrible feature was the treatment from their owners. Frequent whippings of anywhere from 25-75 lashes weren’t uncommon and this is only the beginning of the abuse they received.
What was the attitude of slave owners towards their slaves?
The attitude of slave owners towards their slaves was generally unpleasant. Oftentimes owners didn’t care whether their slaves lived or died. Normally, the attitude of the owners was completely disgusting and showed a complete disregard for basic human needs, To them, slaves were disposable and easily replaced. Their attitudes seemed to show no remorse for what they did and no regard for the enslaved peoples’ lives.
How were slaves punished by their owners?
Slaves were punished by their owners in several different ways. The most common punishment was whipping, however shackles were also used quite frequently. In some extreme cases, legs were amputated for running away. One case highlighted in the text took place in 1767 in Jamaica where one slave had his leg removed below the knee for running away.
