Essay On African American Slavery

Slavery first started around 1500 and it ended around 1865, in that span of time millions and millions of Africans were transported over to the americas to be kept and sold as slaves. Countless lives were lost from the voyage over and the very rough life in the americas. People needed slaves for their back-breaking labor at fields and plantations, without the heavy labor of slaves the plantation owners would not have made any profit, so they turned to the Africans and captured and enslaved them. Slavery had very many bad things about it, but some good came from it way back when in the 1500’s.

At first the Portuguese (First Europeans) explored africa with little interest in captured africans and more interested in trading for gold. But as the Europeans needed a large supply of workers for their plantations, mines, and farms, they realised that they needed some sort of heavy laborers. After the Natives started to die off by the millions Europeans turned to africans. They needed cheap labor so they turned to the

Many African families were torn apart and never reunited. In Africa generations lost their most fittest members, all the young and able that they had. But aside from the horrors of slavery some good did come of it. Without the backbreaking labor of Africans Economic and cultural development would not be anything like it is today. Africans not only brought with them their muscle they also brought their culture, art, music, religion, and food which continues today to influence american societies. The influx of so many Africans left its mark, many countries today have substantial african american populations and sizeable mixed populations. The slave trade also introduced many new items into the Americas one of the biggest being guns. The Americas also introduced into the rest of the world some very unique