African American Slave Trade Research Paper

Slave trade around the time period of the 1700s was a flourishing industry. Slaves were used to harvest crops in order for the owners to make profit. Willem Bosman was a the chief agent of the Dutch West India Company and he is a primary source when trying to understand the process of the slave trade. This is discussed in his book, A New and Accurate Description of The Coast Of Guinea and despite his own actions involving the slave trade, Willem Bosman comes to the conclusion that the African slave traders were dishonest and the European slave traders were careless and unclean. (Bosman, Slave Trader) According to Willem Bosman, the African slave traders were so dishonest that Bosman felt the need to brand his slaves to prevent African slave traders from trading them for less than their worth. Bosman further addresses this in his book A New and Accurate Description of The Coast of Guinea, “This is done that we may distinguish them from the slaves of the English, French, or others (which are also marked with their mark), and to prevent the Negroes exchanging them for worse, at which they have a good hand” (Bosman, 75). Moreover, because the African slave traders have been dishonest in the past, Bosman is hesitant to let a slave under his watch go without being

This becomes apparent when he speaks about branding his slaves, “I doubt not but this trade seems very barbarous to you, but since it is followed by mere necessity, it must go on; but we yet take all possible care that they are not burned too hard, especially the women, who are more tender than the men” (Bosman, 76). Moreover, Bosman attempts to justify his participation in the slave trade by making it seem as though because he does not burn as hard as the African and European slave traders, he cares for his slaves more, making it acceptable to participate in slave