Summary Of The Atlantic Slave Trade The Full Story By Sheldon Stern

“The Atlantic Slave Trade—The Full Story” was written by Dr. Sheldon Stern, an African-American history professor who later served as a historian at the John F. Kennedy Library Museum. In his article, Dr. Stern discusses the profound ignorance found in the education system on the topic of Slaves, and more specifically on the topic of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Stern states that during his many visits to high schools while he was a historian and director of the American History Project for High School Students at John F. Kennedy Library Museum, he was disappointed to discover that many students were being taught that slavery only existed in the Northern American colonies. Stern adamantly argues with evidence which shows that slave trade in other countries had been occurring for hundreds of years, and that only a small percentage of African slaves were sold to the British colonies in comparison to the vast amounts of African slave purchases made from other countries.

Stern expresses in his article is the insufficient history education in schools regarding how slaves were captured and the reality of the slave trade business. Stern claims that many people are ignorant to the fact that the African slave trade was run by African dealers themselves, who would invade villages and capture or kidnap members of their own country to sell. Stern goes on to argue that a common misconception is that Europeans would raid the African shore and kidnap, taunt, and steal Africans to enslave, when in reality the African slave trade was a business run by African kings, chiefs, and slave dealers in which they captured members of their society and sold them for their own personal gain. In conclusion, Dr. Stern provides readers with a truly thought-provoking article by not only discussing flaws in the education system, but by offering historical and factual information on the Atlantic Slave