Atlantic Slave Trade Dbq Essay

From mid-15th century to the end of the 19th century, in order to provide labor, the western colonial countries took a large number of black people from Africa to American colonial plantations and mines. Since the slave trade was mainly carried out on both sides of the Atlantic, the western countries generally call it “the Atlantic slave trade”. Although it brought huge profits to the capitalists of Western Europe, it is the darkest period in African history. We can say that the slavery in the New World was absolutely dehumanizing, and it’s extremely cruel. It has caused billions of Africans lose their lives and has had a very serious impact on the development of Africa.

Document 2 is a description about how the plantation overseer punish

From document 1, Douglass said that “…the mere hearing of those songs would do more to impress some minds with the horrible character of slavery…” If even the song would tell how horrible the slaves’ lives are, we definitely can say that the slaves are in a miserable condition and they only can express their feelings with their songs. Document 2 is the perspective of a son who saw his father punished by the plantation overseer. “His cries grew fainter and fainter, till a feeble groan was the only response to the final blows.” “But from this hour he became utterly changed. Sullen, morose, and dogged, nothing could be done with him.” Through these descriptions, atrocity of plantation overseer and impact of harsh punishment on slaves are obvious. In document 3, the picture shows that in this bloody trade, slaves are just like materials and goods, they are not treated as people, they are more likely treated like machines and jetton. The opinion stated in document 5 by John Woolman that: “…we contradict and are against this traffic of men’s bodies.” He supposed that if slavery happens on them, “…if men should rob or steal us away, and sell us from slaves to strange countries, separating husbands from their wives and children.” He listed lots of evidences to indicate that the slavery is cruel and it should be discarded. Document 6

For document 5, the main idea is to stop slavery because of its brutality. John Woolman is an early abolitionist in the colonial era, he said this to all Americans to appeal to every plantation owner, every colonist to stop use slaves. Document 6 is the opposite side of document 5, its point of view is to oppress the slaves and ignore slaves’ human rights. At that time, slavery prevailed in Virginia, these laws were made for colonists in Virginia to benefit plantation owners, to control slaves better. Document 7 tells the miserable life of slaves on slave trade ships. What the British surgeon had told also happened in 18th century, when Atlantic “Triangular” trade prevailed. He provides this description in a book, so actually he wants to tell everyone who cares about slavery how horrible the slaves’ life at his point of