Development of Slave Trade - Essay Example

The ancient slave trade was widespread in several parts of the world remains one of the most interesting accounts that historians seek to explore and understand. Ancient slave trade was mainly based in Africa with European traders involved in exchange of slaves with other valuables. Characterized by different practices as well as modes of implementation, different accounts put forth by individuals who were either directly or indirectly involved in slavery provide different levels of knowledge relevant in understanding ancient slavery. Mary Prince and John Barbot accounts on slavery have been unanimously acknowledged as some of the most important slavery accounts which provide insightful approach meant to conceptualize the ancient slavery. However, as demonstrated by the accounts by Mary Prince and John Barbot, both present varying revelations regarding their slavery experience, and the differences in the two may be attributed to the different experiences encountered by the two narrators. While one has been a perpetrator of the unaccepted vice of slavery, the other was directly affected by the many evils and brutalities associated with slavery. Comparison between Mary prince and John Barbot accounts on slavery While John Barbot account is from an active participant in slavery Mary Prince account is that of a victim of slavery. John Barbot played an active role in slave trade as he was an employee of the French slave trading company in the 1670s and 1680s, the slavery activities of this company were mainly based in West Africa; a region which by then was one of the major French colonies. His account is based on the experiences during the business encounters in which goods were exchanged for human beings, and he notes most of those sold by blacks were mainly prisoners of war. These were mainly captives during various war encounters or those held hostage when a given community raids its enemy community. In addition, some captives were also stolen and sold by their own countrymen, and surprisingly even parents sold off their own children, relatives and neighbours invaded one another and sold each other. The brutality among Africans themselves is highly echoed here. According to John Barbot, intended objects of were often tricked to transport goods to the slave and without their notice; they were sold and held captive. Barbot recalls a story narrated to him of a father who had supposedly tricked his son to sell him but since the son was able to understand the conversation later on conspired with the slave trader and convinced him his father was his slave and as a result the father was held captive. However, the son was met by black slave traders on his way home, the goods he had received from the sale of his father were taken and he was also sold as a slave. John Barbot account underscores the absoluteness nature of kings that any suspicion of threat from his subjects resulted to them being sold out as slaves, whereby a typical example of a priest who was sold to Barbot following a king orders being given. Kings were always above everyone in the society and their word was final. They even had responsibilities to organising raids in neighbouring communities with intentions of capturing slaves for sale. In the account it is also revealed that young children of both sexes are also sold by their neighbours (Stearns 181). These children were usually captured and sold at certain times of the year when they would be sent at strategic positions by parents to scare the birds that came to damage crops. In addition, in order to avoid starvation during times of famine people also sold so as to get the necessary maintenance, thus, the business of slave trade business is largely associated with kings, very rich in the society as well as blacks. Mary prince commences her account on slavery by revisiting her childhood familiarities and later on embarks on her slavery involvements in the West Indies. While John Barbot’s slavery account is focused on West African slave trade, Mary Prince’s account is based on the West Indian slave trade. Prince’s account illustrates issues of voice and identity as opposed to Barbot’s account which is mainly characterized brutality and immoral practices that African perpetrates towards each other. Prince’s account narratives are highly characterized by aggression and assertion as she represents the voice of her fellow victims of slavery. Furthermore, her narratives exhibit a profound sense of identification with the West Indies cultural background where she hails from contrary to the Barbot’s account which inclined towards the French culture, which is his ancestral background. In addition, her aggression and assertion is attributed to the fact that she was born of a slave family and brought up in a slavery environment. Her account on slavery account is highly distinguishable from other accounts due to high degree of integrity this is because the account gives great attention to practices in the cultural systems which are pivotal in nurturing a human community under siege. Prince’s portrays a deep sense of aggressive assertion, an angered voice of an oppressed community as well as a thirsting will of reconnecting with the Caribbean community. Prince has continuously portrayed herself as a hardworking and progressively rebelled against slavery, and her attempts to escape from her captors indicate his love for freedom and desire to live in a free world (Prince 19). Although the two accounts are different in several ways, to a great extent they possess distinct similarities since both focus mainly on slave trade and the goal of the two accounts is to highlight various evils associated with slave trade. In addition, the events contained in the two accounts took place in almost the same time; historians play important roles in distributing moral responsibility about slave trade. History and historians reveals facts which can be of much importance to the victims of slave trade. These facts may help those affected by slave trade trace back their ancestral origin as well understand and appreciate their immediate geographical location. In order to achieve this historian’s usually try to find who was involved and for which action. For instance, the Atlantic slave trade was mainly dominated by African slaves originating from most African countries and eventually sold to other parts of the world. Transportation slaves followed triangular in order to fulfil the transportation duties which they were mainly sought for, whereby from Africa, their first destination was mainly Caribbean where they were used to ferry sugar to North America or Europe and then ferry finished industrial goods from there back to Africa. The major participants of Atlantic slave trade were Jews and their participation is said to have been influenced by their expulsion from Portugal and Spain as well as by the rise of the new world. The moral responsibility of this slave trade was blamed on both those involved in selling or exchange of human for other valuable. Although both Portugal and Spain did not directly participate in slave trade they may partially be blamed since their expulsion of the Jewish to a great extent fuelled their involvement in slave trade. Slave trade greatly undermines human life, slaves are usually exposed to brutal acts during and after they are captured. As it can be visualized from the two accounts, slave trade was a major destabilizing agent in the society. Communities usually rise against each in warfare some of which are driven by the agenda of capturing human to sell as slaves. Slavery led to widespread exploitation and undermining of some communities by other, such scenarios often lead to animosity between such communities and attempts to reconcile these moral animosities greatly rely on historic information Conclusion Both Mary prince and John Barbot offer insightful accounts into the understanding of ancient slave trade. Their work has over years proved to be a valuable tool to historians and other parties interested in understanding ancient slave trade. Mary Prince and John Barbot, both present varying revelations regarding their slavery experience. The differences in the two accounts may be attributed to the different experiences encountered by the two narrators. While one has been a perpetrator of the unaccepted vice of slavery, the other has been directly affected by the many evils and brutalities associated with slavery. Although the two accounts are different in several ways, to a great extent they possess distinct similarities. In both, focus is on slave trade and the goal of the two accounts is to highlight various evils associated with slave trade; therefore, the events contained in the two accounts took place in almost the same time. While John Barbot’s slavery account is focused on West African slave trade, Mary Prince’s account is based on the West Indian slave trade. Prince’s account illustrates issues of voice and identity as opposed to Barbot’s account which is mainly characterized brutality and immoral practices that African perpetrates towards each other. Prince’s account narratives are highly characterized by aggression and assertion as she represents the voice of her fellow victims of slavery. Prince’s portrays a deep sense of aggressive assertion, an angered voice of an oppressed community as well as a thirsting will of reconnecting with the Caribbean community. Prince has continuously portrayed himself as a hardworking and progressively rebelled against slavery. His attempts to escape from his captors indicate his love for freedom and desire to live in a free world Works Cited Stearns, Peter ed. World History in Documents: A Comparative Reader. NYU Press, 2008. Print Prince, Mary. The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave. Virginia:Wilder Publications, 2008. Print. Read More