The Effects That the Institution of Slavery Had on the Atlantic Civilization - Essay Example

? The Effects that the of Slavery Had on the Atlantic Civilization Introduction The Atlantic civilization, or the Atlantic world, refers to the world that resulted from the “convergence in the Atlantic basin of Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans in the wake of Columbus’ 1492 passage to the ‘New World’”. The effects of slavery on the Atlantic civilization will rather highlight information gleaned from the Slave Trade Documents by John Barbot in 1732, an excerpt from The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano written in 1789, the Address to the National Assembly in Favor of the Abolition of the Slave Trade, the Fugitive Save Act of 1850, the Boston Riot report, and an Act Regulating Passenger Ships and Vessels. It is only knowledge from these primary sources that can possibly give us reliable evidence on the effects of slavery on the Atlantic civilization. The Flourishing of the Slave Trade The first effect of the slave trade on the Atlantic world was the expansion of the trade itself. Much of the information concerning this was exposed through the publication of the journals of John Barbot, a French Royal African Company agent who made voyages from the West Coast of Africa back to the Atlantic world, two of these documented in 1678 and 1682. Based on the Slave Trade documents by John Barbot, which were published in 1732, it was rather easy to obtain slaves from Africa because “in times of dearth and famine, abundance of those people will sell themselves, for a maintenance, and to prevent starving”. Moreover, according to John Barbot, the main consequence of the great supply of slaves from Africa going to the Atlantic civilization is the lesser demand for them and more importantly, the cruelty and inhumane treatment that is afforded these slaves. According to John Barbot, the masters of these slaves “subsist them poorly and beat them inhumanly”. and the evidence for this is the scabs and wounds on the bodies of the slaves. The masters also “[scarcely] allow them the least rag to cover their nakedness”. Causing physical injury to innocent people even if they are slaves are naturally against human nature. Moreover, the wives and children of the slaves are also a property of the master. Also, when the slaves die, the masters “never bury them but case out the bodies into some by place, to be devoured by birds or beasts of prey”. This is rather one of the cruelest acts done by the masters on the slaves, which is not to afford dignity to the slaves even in death. Lastly, these slaves have been subjected to torture as Barbot himself admits ad confesses: “And tho’ I must say I am naturally compassionate, yet have I been necessitated sometimes to cause the teeth of those wretches to be broken, because they would not open their mouths”. From these accounts of John Barbot, one can clearly see the maltreatment of the slaves in the Atlantic civilization, whether in Europe or in America. This dominated the market during those times. Fusion of African and Atlantic Cultures The account of Olaudah Equiano, who was born in Benin in the late 1700s and kidnapped from there by the European slave traders, somehow opposed the idea of Barbot that it was rather easy to obtain slaves because they would sell themselves to prevent starving. On the other hand, it is possible that not all places would be the same all the time. Nevertheless, according to Equiano, when he arrived in England, he thought “the languages of different nations did not totally differ, nor were they so copious as those of the Europeans, particularly the English [and] they were therefore easily learned; and while I was journeying thus through Africa [probably on board the slave ship], I acquired two or three different tongues”. This is therefore a sign that the cultures of Africa have Formation of Anti-Slavery Organizations As early as 1790, there have been calls for anti-slavery in the Atlantic world, like the Society of the Friends of Blacks, who called for the abolition of slavery particularly in France and England. According to their Address to the National Assembly in Favor of the Abolition of the Slave Trade, the organization denied that they wanted abolition for the whole Atlantic civilization and only declared opposition against the transportation of Africans to the French colonies. According to this anti-slavery organization, in their own words, “We ask that one cease butchering thousands of blacks regularly every year…cease the prostitution, the profaning of the French name used to authorize these thefts, these atrocious murders”. In short, much of the concern of these organizations is not really totally for the sake of the slaves but only perhaps to clear France’s reputation in the international scene. Formulation of Stricter Laws The European countries may have succumbed to pressure from the anti-slavery organizations and, perhaps because of other reasons too, England abolished slavery in 1807. Nevertheless, in America, where slavery stayed until the mid-19th century, stricter laws have in fact been implemented by the Congress even in the 1850s, a few years before the Emancipation Decree was carried out. According to the very strictly formulated Fugitive Slave Act of 1950, the fugitive slave should be arrested and returned to the owner, but, more importantly, as stated in Section 6 of the law, “in no trial or hearing under this act shall the testimony of such alleged fugitive be admitted in evidence” (Fugitive). This is clearly not only a brutal and harsh law but something that is clearly inhuman. This law assumes that slaves are not humans at all and should therefore be treated in such a way as they do not even have any rights to defend themselves in court. Moreover, according to Section 8 of the law, any person who hinders the arrest of the fugitive slaves, will be “subject to a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, and imprisonment not exceeding six months” with automatic conviction without trial. The fear of this most severe punishment for accomplices therefore must have prevented any help for the fugitives coming even from the sympathetic Americans themselves. Riots and Chaos In 1856, a few years before the Civil War, there was a controversy involving former Senator Charles Sumner, who vehemently opposed slavery and made it clear that his home state Kansas would never resort to slavery, unlike South Carolina. This further led to the Boston Riot of May 30, 1856 where a group of frenzied mob exploded in a riot following some inspirational statements of Charles Sumner. In an editorial in 1856 in the point of view of a strong pro-slavery correspondent of the Evening Star in Washington D.C., the report considered the Boston riot as a “cowardly, bloody outrage” and accused the anti-slavery rioters as “stigmatizing Washington as a slave breeder”. At the same time, the editorial maligned and accused Charles Sumner of “[inviting] his constituents to resist the federal laws [to the point of] shedding of blood…traitorous plots” which they all dismissed as violations of the Constitution that Sumner himself has sworn to protect as senator. From this one can clearly see that the press is even bent at quelling any form of riot or rebellion coming from the anti-slavery protesters, and can even badmouth a Senator for fighting for slavery rights. Such conflicts of beliefs and interests were among the effects of slavery in the Atlantic civilization. Brutal Treatment of Slaves in the Slave Ships The brutality of slavery started and remained brutal in the ships that carried the slaves from Africa to the Atlantic. It was also in these ships that the rights of the slaves were horribly violated. The laws that have been passed to regulate these ships also did not include the protection of the slaves in it. For example, the statement known as An Act Regulating Passenger Ships and Vessels, which was enacted by Henry Clay in 1819 and approved by then U.S. President James Monroe, required the careful accounting of the number of slaves in the ship and the sufficiency of the water and provisions, but never the rights and treatment of the slaves. From this law, one can conclude that as long as no slave died in the ship under the brutality of the captain and his crew, then it shall simply be fine and it shall be assumed that the slaves were fairly treated. The beginning of slavery in the 17th century and its eventual passage into the Atlantic civilization had many results. First, the slave trade flourished with the huge deluge of slaves coming from Africa and the relative ease in capturing them. Secondly, there was a fusion of African and Atlantic cultures as in the example of Africans learning the English language and other European languages. Thirdly, there was the formation of anti-slavery organizations that pushed for the partial or complete abolishment of slavery in Europe and America. Fourthly, there were stricter laws formulated particularly those that did not afford any rights to slaves. Lastly, there was a continued brutal treatment of slaves on slave ships, which was actually indirectly tolerated by laws that did not provide for their protection. There could have been other consequences to the slave trade but the results, as far as we can see, were mostly negative. BIBLIOGRAPHY “Address to the National Assembly in Favor of the Abolition of the Slave Trade.” (2013). HistoryWiz. Accessed Nov. 23, 2013. http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/societyfob.htm. Allen, William E. (2013). “History of Atlantic Civilization, 1415-1888.” Kennesaw State Universty. Accessed Nov. 23, 2013. http://www.kennesaw.edu/history/syllabi/Spring09/HIST4490-02Allen.pdf. “An Act Regulating Passenger Ships and Vessels.” (2013). National Archives. Accessed Nov. 23, 2013. http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/slavery/images/patuxent-act.pdf. “From The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano 1789.” (2013). HistoryWiz. Accessed Nov. 23, 2013. http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/olaudahequiano.html. “Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.” (2013). HistoryWiz. Accessed Nov. 23, 2013. http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/fugitiveslaveact.htm. “Slave Trade Documents by John Barbot 1732.” (2013). HistoryWiz. Accessed Nov. 23, 2013. http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/slavetrade.html. “The Boston Riot.” (2013). HistoryWiz. Accessed Nov. 23, 2013. http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/bostonriotsumner.htm. Read More