African Slave Trade Dbq Essay

Following the period of Exploration, explorers discovered new lands rich with resources such as gold, silver, and other precious materials that needed to be mined, and crops that needed to be farmed. However, workers who could perform these tasks were scarce. The Native American population had been killed by disease and war, and the colonists weren’t often willing to do this labor. Fortunately for the European colonists, they had access for a convenient and inexpensive labor market via the means of African Slave Trade. Millions of African men, women, and children were plucked from their homes and shipped over to the colonies in exchange for goods. As a result of the absence of humanitarian concerns, slaves during the period of Atlantic

In the example of Spain, Whitcomb writes in his “Gold of the Indies - 1559” that Natives who were converted to Christianity could no longer mine the gold and silver that sustained Spain’s economy because they were freed by the Emperor, and so the enslaved Africans had to be forced to work without pay. These Africans were worked to the bone, malnourished, and fell sick (Doc 1). In today’s times, such inhumane treatment would be not only illegal, but it would be considered to be immoral. As their masters force them to work without eating enough, they are abusing their bodies. Furthermore, on the slave ship Brookes 1789, slaves were placed extremely close together and stacked on bunks that were uncomfortably close together (Doc 5). This is abusive and inhumane because it not only allowed pestilence to spread like wildfire, but it also caused the enslaved Africans quite a bit of discomfort. Many perished on these slave ships as a result of sickness and malnourishment, and slave owners and ship owners still had a lack of humanitarian concern and continued their treatment of the slaves. Thus, it is easy to conclude from this information that slaves were mistreated during the period of the Atlantic Slave

Cugoano, a slave, writes that he was stolen from his home country (Doc 2). This means that he was taken from his rightful social place in his home and forced to go to a new land in which the language, culture, and mannerisms are different. Although it may not seem overwhelming, imagine that you’re forced to move to Russia. Unless you have family in Russia or are studying Russian culture, being forced to move there without being educated would be quite stressful, and it shows that the slave owners paid no heed to their slaves’ struggles. Also, during this time, enslaved Africans were also sold at auctions and scrutinized in front of the public (Doc 10). Not only does this show that they were thought of as mere beasts rather than human beings, but it was probably extremely humiliating. In school, we often think that public speaking is embarrassing, but it certainly wouldn’t be as demeaning as being examined by someone who perceives you to be a lower being. Hence, slaves were harmed socially as