Slavery in Colonial Latin America - Essay Example

Role of Slavery in the Development of Colonial Latin America I. Introduction Slavery has many negative connotations because of the perceived violation of basic human rights to freedom and choice. In the case of many slave nations, the inhumane treatment of slave races evident in centuries of testimonials and independent study, as well as allusions in literature, has made it an incompatible concept in modern society. Yet it is undeniable that many of the modern economies which decry the practice of the slave trade and slavery in general have their own political and economic basis in a pre-modern slave economy. Moreover, much of the richness in culture and society is due to the intermingling of races that resulted from slavery. This is most evident in Latin America. The history of Latin America is a complex interplay of economic and political agenda that buffeted these countries in as a result of what can only be termed the struggle for supremacy between European powers from the 15th century. The term Latin America is ascribed to countries in South America, North America, Central America and the Caribbean Islands that lie south of the United States where the spoken language is of Spanish or Portuguese extraction. ("Latin America," 2007) Colonial Latin America is the period that many believe began with the discovery of Christopher Columbus of the Americas, referred to as the New World, landing in the Bahamas in 1492, but in fact the colonial era began when the Council of the Indies was convened in 1524 ad ended with the Comuero revolt in 1781. ("Colonial Period," 1998) This was after the Treaty of Tordesillas of 1493 divided the New World wherein the Spanish controlled everything west of the Line of Demarcation and the Portuguese had power over the east, which later became Brazil. At this point, the indigenous people, including the ruling Incas and Aztecs, had been overpowered by the colonists. Large percentages of the indigenous people in colonized Latin America died during this period, attributed mostly to diseases brought by the Europeans such as measles to which the natives had no defense against. It was to augment the pool of available slave labor that the colonists decided to take advantage of the wars in Western Africa which resulted in a glut of available slaves of African descent in the late 16th. This right of entrepreneurs to import slaves or asientos was controlled by King Charles I of Spain. These slaves were farmed out to the different colonies in large numbers, outnumbering the indigenous and European population combined. However, not all black immigrants are African-born. Spain brought Spanish-born Africans called "Ladinos" to work as mine laborers. Free Africans also immigrated to the New World in search of a better life. (Cruz, 2000) The move to free the slaves began in the French colony of Saint-Domingue in 1793 in the middle of the French Revolutions when Lger Flicit Sonthonax emancipated all slaves and made them full citizens, only to have it revoked in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte. Until 1870, when the slave trade was finally outlawed, it is estimated that 10 million Africans were brought to the Americas, almost half to the Caribbean islands and the Guiana's while 38% went to Brazil. Mainland Spanish America got 6% while North America and Europe roughly approximated 4.5% each. It seems undeniable from a popular point of view that the influences of the African immigrants, as slaves or otherwise, and to a lesser degree the European colonists who dominated them have served to enrich an otherwise self-contained population. The incursion of a foreign influence has led to the growth and development of the Latin American culture that would otherwise be unknown in the modern era. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the role of the importation of slaves of African descent on the social, cultural, and economic formation of Latin American countries. II. Role of Slavery on Colonial Latin America A. Social aspects Prior to the importation of African slaves to Latin America, European colonists attempted to subjugate the indigenous population and coerce them into supplying the labor they needed to exploit the resources of the land. Those who did not rebel died of European-borne diseases. African slaves were then brought in and a social caste system was established to exert control over the growing population. Some historians attribute this three-tiered segregation of white, dominant class, free whites and slaves as the foundation for the racial discrimination prevalent in modern Western society. Whether this originated in Latin America is not clear, but it would appear that the concept of white supremacy was based on the result of level of aggression rather than any genetic superiority. B. Cultural aspects Because of the large populations of immigrants of African descent in the Americas, it was inevitable that their culture would permeate the arts and religion. Free Africans and slaves alike carried with them to the New World a myriad of mostly oral traditions and practices endemic to their culture, a culture that had been assimilated into the dominant, European culture to produce the rich, varied and distinct peoples now referred to as the Latin American mystique. This is especially apparent in music, language, literature and religion, where creolization, the adaptation of local conditions to fit imported cultures, took place. Moreover, the intermarriages in the Latin American nations produced the exotic mestizos that comprise the majority of the population today. 1. Language While many of the 20 nations in Latin America share Spanish, Portuguese, French and Dutch terms, most have their own distinct, creolized languages. This is especially true in the Caribbean islands such as Haiti, where the population is overwhelmingly of African-descent. The language is a mix of French, African, Spanish and Indian languages. It should be noted that the Caribbean islands were essentially dependent on slave labor as these were mainly plantation societies. In consequence, the African-dominated population was in a unique position to craft their own society, with highly distinct practices and traditions that separate them from the dominant minority. This explains why despite the presence of a dominant minority, cultural and societal influences were strongly African in essence. This is apparent in their patterns of speech, which remains structurally West African whether the dominant spoken language was English Spanish, Portuguese, French or Dutch. Today, these languages have been acknowledged and formalized in literature and politics. (Cruz, 2000) The influence of the Native American languages can be traced in the languages in Peru, Guatemala, Paraguay and Bolivia as well as to a lesser degree in Mexico, Ecuador and Chile. ("Latin America," 2007) 2. Religion The dominant religion in Latin American nations today remains that of Roman Catholic Church with a sprinkling of Reformist and other religions. Its influence, as in any nation that has been indoctrinated by its traditions and beliefs, had been extensive. Other religions, their traditions and beliefs were severely disallowed, and the general population was forced to concede. However, because of the population ratio and mix, restrictions based on color or race was not as rigid as it usually is. Perhaps because the majority of the devotees were not European, membership in all denominations were mostly Afro-Latin American. This banning of other religious practices, a standard in Roman Catholicism, led to syncretism of the African oral religion traditions. Syncretism is the evolution of religious practices and beliefs resulting from the need to accommodate a more dominant or more restricted society which discourages alternative practices. In the case of Latin America, the African slave population proceeded to accommodate Catholic beliefs and practices by finding parallelisms between the two systems, usually by associating saints and African deities based on similarity of functions. Essentially, this combined religion was a secret society because discovery could lead to unpleasant consequences. Only members were cognizant of the practices and traditions and there was usually no written document similar to the Bible on which study by outsiders may be based. This can be seen in the existence of Santeria in Cuba and Puerto Rico, and which has even spread its influence to North America, especially New Orleans; and Macumba, more popularly known as Voodoo, in Haiti, whose members are an interesting mix of blacks and non-blacks. It must be noted, however, that the voodoo practiced in these societies is not the same evil and sadistic practices popularized in Hollywood films. Other forms of syncretized African religions are scattered all over the Latin American nations. (Cruz 2000) 3. Music Perhaps the most widely-recognized influence of Africa on Latin American societies is in the music, most particularly in Brazil. Very few people would fail to recognize the diverse beats and rhythms such as the mambo, salsa, merengue and bacchata. These music, and the accompanying dances, originated from Cuba, Panama, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. The kompa of Haiti is strongly reminiscent of the African tribal rhythm and melodies and the cumbia and vallenato as well as the bossa nova are musical genres that proliferate today. Indeed, jazz and reggae music, most definitely identified with Jamaica has been of particular importance in North America, transmuted from the colorful populations of Latin America. The tango in Argentina, however, is slightly different, having a dual outside influence: Moorish (from the Spanish fandango) and African (condombe) but is most definitely associated today with Latin America. (Latin America 2007; Cruz 2000) 4. Literature In terms of popular literature, it is in the folklore and legends of the New World that African influence is most deeply apparent such as the duende, a mischievous spirit much like a leprechaun, and other supernatural creatures of various persuasions. Slavery, understandably, is the most prevalent theme for black writers and poets, such as the work of Luis Gama and one of Brazil's greatest poets, Joo da Cruz e Sousa, the son of a freed slave. (Cruz 2000) C. Economic aspects It would seem reasonable to expect that with the millions of slaves brought to the Latin Americas, the economic influence of their mere presence would be considerable, if only through sheer numbers. The importance of the slaves in the Latin American countries varied depending on the particular industry, usually based on how important the availability of consistent and abundant cheap labor was. 1. Sugar plantations Sugar agriculture, the staple of many Latin American plantation economies, was the industry in which the input of African slaves was extremely important. With the decimation of the natives due to sickness or other reasons, the importation of African slaves in the early 17th Century served to bridge the enormous gap between scarcity and surplus of the crop. Slave trading was an extremely lucrative profession at that time. Brazil, the first of the Latin American nations to launch sugar production in a massive scale, benefited greatly from slave labor and laid the foundations for the economy of that country until the 1830s. Referred to as engenhos, the plantations were self-sustaining and needed little input from the Portuguese owners, encouraging the formation of bigger and wider plantations that needed more labor. The Dutch saw the potential of the sugar business, and went into the industry as well but in the Caribbean islands, particularly Cuba, in the latter part of the 17th Century. The Cuban plantations followed the pattern of those in Brazil. Under the Spanish, and then British, and then Spanish rule again, Cuba's economy seesawed. However, the sugar business opened Cuba to international trade and established its importance in the Caribbean. (Correa 1999) 2. Mining Mining is another industry in which the Spanish and Portuguese colonists saw huge opportunities for profit. There were rich deposits of gold and silver waiting to be plundered but their problem was getting them out. The Spanish solution was the creation of an economic unit called an encomienda, in which a colonist was given control over a particular area, a stake in essence, for exploitation. The natives were compelled to provide labor or gold to the colonist in exchange for protection. When the Indian population declined, Africans were imported to do the work. In Mexico, the labor crisis waxed and waned between 1519 and 1810 in which time Mexico brought in 200,000. Chile brought in about 6,000 slaves, but most were put to work on agriculture. Argentina and Bolivia brought in 100,000 Africans to work the mines. However, by the 18th century, the need for African slaves declined as the indigenous populations recovered and could provide the labor required. By 1880 when the slave trade was abolished, the 4.7 million slaves imported in the Caribbean had been reduced to 2 million. (Colonial Latin America 2007; Cruz 2000) Because sugar-producing and other plantation-based countries depended on their labor force, the dominant group made sure that the labor pool, whether slaves or free, would remain in place and promoted discrimination against the African population to discourage their upward movement in society. In other sectors such as the coffee and fishing industries, social mobility was greater and caste distinctions were less clearly defined. However, Africans continued to do mostly menial or unskilled labor and were typically engaged as agricultural or domestic workers. (Cruz 2000) References Carroll, P. (n.d.) Africa in the Americas: Blacks in Mexico. Humanities Interactive. Retrieved June 25, 2007 from http://www.humanities-interactive.org/newworld/africa/blacks_in_mexico.htm Colonial Latin America (2007) Rancho Buena Vista High School. Retrieved June 25, 2007 from http://rbvhs.vusd.k12.ca.us/teachers/chagala/la_slavery_1.htm Colonial period. (1998) Illinois State University. Retrieved June 25, 2007 from http://www.ilstu.edu/class/hist127/chron.html#Colonial Correa, K. (1999, April 8) Slavery: was it beneficial to the economy of Latin America Columbia University. Retrieved June 24, 3007 from http://www.columbia.edu/ad245/Correak.pdf Cruz, S. (2000, July 4) African Americans in the Caribbean and Latin America. Saxakali.com. Retrieved June 23, 2007 from http://www.saxakali.com/caribbean/shamil.htm Curtin, Phillip D. The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Census. Madison: Univ. of Wisconsin Press, 1969. Graham, Richard, ed. The Idea of Race in Latin America. Austin: Univ. of Texas Press, 1990. Gudmundson, L. (1984, May) Slavery and abolition. 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