Slavery 1500-1800- P3 Flashcards
what was the role of europeans in the origins of slavery?
- countries such as Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, France searched for adventure
- colonialists were able to start using low labour costs to get highest profits
why didn’t europeans use native americans as slaves?
- they knew their land very well and could easily escape
- diseases hurt population and they couldn’t fight off infections as well
- genocide
why did europeans choose West Africa for the slave trade?
greater ability for travel and could control risk for escape, sea ports
were able to travel better due to new ship building techniques, navigational improvements and cartography
europeans knew that african slavery was good for knowledge on plantations
what was the role of portugal in the origins of slavery?
portugeese settlers turned to African coasts to establish links between sugar plantations and African slaves
turned to African slaves to solve their need for labour = caused a massive growth in the slave trade
they repaired and refuelled large ships to trade slaves to sell to Carribean, US and Europe
started to provide workers to Spain and Brazil
what was the asiento system?
european settlers first gained access to enslaved Africans through attacks on portugese ships - when english, dutch or french privateers captured these ships, they sent the slaves back to their own colonies/plantations
Spain and Portugal were temporarily united in 1580, but Spain broke up Portugeese slave trade monopoly (they owned the trading rights to something)
Spain offered direct slave trading contracts to other European merchants
abandoned in 1789
Asiento system became instrument of foreign policy as european powers used this as ower. the access of it was dependent on wars etc.
what was the role of Britain in the origins of slavery?
- selling slaves to Spanish merchants kept Bristol involved in the trade when sugar prices dropped in 1730s- provided economic security for Britain as they had multiple incomes
- Charles II created Royal African Company which created a monopoly to transport enslaved people to English colonies and arrested them without a trial. abolished in 1712 when they were introduced to asiento system. - once this ended, there was competition between merchants, increased in trade.
- by 1760, Britain possessed 23 colonies, and as their colonies grew, the number of British plantation owners and slave traders did
what are some of the factors which caused the slave trade?
- role of plantations: income, cheap labour etc
- demands of sugar producton
- shortage of labour: native americans
- religious factors: in genesis, ‘canan’ was punished and enslaved, and he was black.
when did portugal get involved with the slave trade and when was it abolished
1444 - 1858
when did britain get involved with the slave trade and when did it end?
1562 - 1883
historiography for origins of slavery
James Walvin- The local Indians died out or simply drifted away from the strenuous demands… Both the Spaniards and Portuguese already had experience using African slave labor… so faced with labour shortages in the Americas they again turned to African slaves.- Origin
Herbert Klein - Alternative labor was needed … They found African slaves useful for the very reasons that they were kinless and totally mobile laborers. -Origin
Kenneth Morgan- it would not be unfair to claim that the slave-sugar trading complex strengthened the British economy and played a significant, though not decisive , part in the evolution [of industrialization].’- Impact on British economy
what was the middle passage?
journey between West Africa, Americas, Europe
West African slaves are moved to America to be used on plantations = plantations produce sugar, tobacco and cotton which goes to Europe = Europe turned these to manufactured goods which then goes to Africa
what was the middle passage like for slaves?
15m Africans were transported rom 1540 - 1850 to the Americas. #
= journey took roughly 2 months
- stripped off clothes and possessions
- segregated by gender and age
- disease was very common
- net over the ship to stop suicide
- disobedient = tortured
- women were raped and assualted
what was the zong massacre in the middle passage?
1781
Zong left Ghana for Jamaica where they intended to sell 422 slaves, which was twice the capacity
ship owners had insurance for ‘cargo’ - wouldn’t be able to get insurance if slaves died from illness aboard.
3 options: ration food and water, lock down hatches and so they would die from dehydration and disease or throw overboard. they were thrown overboard
when ship arrived in jamaica, captain shortly died after and the surviving captives were sold.
insurers refused to pay insurance and when taken to court, the English Maritime Insurance said that compensation would be paid for Africans, but no one had ever claimed for the people that were deliberatetly killed to make an insurance claim.
jury ruled in favour for ship owners, insurers appealed.
zong was one of the first cases that signalled changing attitudes and kickstart of abolitionists
what was the amistad rebellion
feb - march 1839
there was 53 Africans on the Amistad, they were stripped naked, punished and inspected.
it had left Havana under nightfall to avoid British ships.
One of the slaves killed the cook in his sleep, and then slashed the captain to death
it stopped on small islands, and dehydration and dysentry took a toll on them. the crew was freed and the Africans was imprisoned.
naval officers who captured the boat wanted rights to the vessel and the cargo, but the crew wanted their property back, but the Spanish and US government requested Africans to be returned to Cuba
1841 - Supreme Court agreed that Africans should be released free
Abolitionists were forced to raise money from scratch for the journey back to Sierra Leonew
what did slave traders do to the slaves when they reached America?
- washed, shaved and rubbed with palm oil or tar to disguise sores and scars.
- older slaves had heads shaved to hide signs of grey hairs
- auctions - auctioneers sold enslaved people individually with people being sold to the highest bidder
- scramble - enslaved people would be kept together in an enclosure, and buyers paid a fixed fee beforehand, then buyers rushed in and grabbed the people they wanted
- many died or committed suicide
historiography for the middle passage
“the shrieks of women, and the groans of the dying” – Olaudah Equiano
“mass murder masquerading as an insurance claim” – James Walvin
Piers Brendon- During the two month voyage. The slaves endured a kind of living death.- the Middle passage
Molly Morgan- The Middle Passage served not only to erase a slave’s sense of human dignity, but the journey also wiped away the collective knowledge and cultural history of those captured. – the middle passage
why were more slaves to going to brazil compared to other countries?
- most slaves going to brazil died quicker, and died before they were able to have children
- labour was more intense
why did slaves live longer in America?
they had strong opinions on ‘breeding’
people tended to live longer and so they were able to have children who then became slaves
they had cotton plantations, so it was a little less labour enriched
what different plantations were there
brazil
- Most slaves resided on sugar plantations
- Work in the fields was gruelling
- Long hours spent in the sun
- Bake in their skin over cauldrons in boiling houses where the raw sugarcane was processed
west indies
- Enslaved labourers work on sugar and coffee plantations
- Worked for long hours
- Child slave labour is common in coffee plantations
- Poisoning with chemicals for coffee plantations
southern colonies
- Tobacco, rice and cotton plantations were common
- Rice plantations: swamp like conditions and would be tough to work in
- Rice plantations considered to be one of the worst
- Standing in water for hours
- Child morality and malaria was high
what were the conditions like on plantations
southern colonies
- Worked in gangs under the control of an overseer
- Wanted slaves to reproduce
- Conditions weren’t as brutal in brazil and west indies
- Intimidation, dehumanisation and brutality
- Long hours
brazil/west indies
Both had sugar plantations
- Unpleasant heat and humidity
- Enslaved Africans were chosen as they were thought to best withstand the heat
- Debt bondage
- High morality rates
“the reduced life expectancy {was due to} the particularly harsh work in the hostile environments of sugar cultivation” according to James Walvin.
what was the treatment of slaves like in different colonies.
west indies
Slave code was passed in 1661 and it saw slaves as “brutes” and described Africans as “nonhumans” and that they should be purchased and be heirs forevwr
brazil
Dehumanising
One of the first countries to introduce slave codes
Racial hierarchy that correlated to working conditions
americas
Slave codes were brought in order to protect slave owners from slave violence
Slaveholders were allowed to whip, brand and imprison them.
Slave codes continuously changed to meet the slaveowners needs
what was the economic impact on plantations for different coloneis
west indies
- Slavery system greatly impacted the economy
- Caribbean land was cheap to buy, but the sugar plantations where the slaves worked were extremely expensive to build and then maintain
- High quality sugar with extremely cheap labour, following the notion that its cheaper to work slaves to death and replace them rather then treating them humanely.
- Economy pulled in more profit due to the growth in numbers meaning the sugar plantation was making even more money
brazil
- Brazil’s relationship with slavery allowed for economic growth within the colony
- Most of the slaves worked on sugar and coffee plantations which were high demand leading to more slaved being used to turn a larger profit
- Brazil gained more economic power and growth that allowed them to industrialise their colony even further
southern colonies
- South was growing 60% of the worlds cotton supply which meant that slavery system had allowed for cheap labour.
- This aided colonies as it allowed for manufactured goods such as iron and other metals to be sold.
- Acted as a foundation for American economic growth due to the continuous use of slaves on plantations.
what was the role of religion for different colonies plantations
west indies
- Encourages the enslaved to read passages from the Bible that they thought enslaved people to be happy in bondage
- Owners also wanted slaves to take part to take part in forms of Catholicism.
- Many slaves worshipped the stories of Moses as he saved the slaves from bondage
brazil
- Main role of religion was to allow the slaveowners to assume control over the enslaved people as they would make it compulsory for their slaves to convert to the Roman Catholic Church.
- Masters felt this ownership and control would lead to the slave being more obedient
what was the role of rebellions on different colonies plantations
west indies
There was more of an opportunity since working in groups
brazil
Revolts from slaves were less frequent, but overall, more violent than the others
This is due to the isolating conditions that they were under
southern colonies
More of an opportunity since they were working in groups on plantations
Bacon’s Rebellion
Stono’s Rebellion
historiography for life on plantations
James Walvin, stated that “life as a sugar slave was generally tougher” those working on tobacco plantations.
“the reduced life expectancy {was due to} the particularly harsh work in the hostile environments of sugar cultivation” according to James Walvin.
historian Lilia M Schwarcz the enslaved people would “[kill] their masters and plantation owners, [flee] into the forests, and [mount] revolts”
what was the most common type of resistance on plantations?
‘day to day resistance’
breaking tools, faking illness, staging slowdwosn, committing acts of arson and sabotage
running away as most slaves ran short distances to temporarily withold the economic bargaining and negotiating
some people did run away but these consisted of people with more privilege such as boatsmen or coachmen.
