Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade During The Constitutional Convention Of 1787

Final Exam: Question 2 Response by Bria Mosley

During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, it was decided to leave the trans-Atlantic slave trade open for twenty years. However, beginning in 1808, the United States prohibited any further importation of Africans into US territory. The Middle Passage helped to transport hundreds of thousands of Africans into the United State. Although many tried to ignore the law and import secretly, 1808 marked the end of the Middle Passage. With the Middle Passage coming to an end, western expansion began to rise, opening millions of acres of land to cotton. Though using what we learned in class and Frederick Douglass’ memoir as a primary source, I will be able to discuss what life was like for slaves who

Trans-Atlantic slaves are often snuck into America up until around1865. Domestic slave trade, however, rose up and took the place of the Atlantic slave trade. This led the population of America born Africans to increase dramatically. Domestic slave trade drove motivation toward westward movement. The trade took slaves through through Virginia and Tennessee and to Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, the most popular trade spot being New Orleans. Often times, slaves were forced to walk to their trade spots. The physically tolling journey led to deaths along the pathways. Frederick Douglas, who was born in Talbot County Maryland, had to walk to Baltimore, Maryland in order to be sold off to a new master. Many Whites who took up their homes and moved to western cotton slaves usually took their slaves with them. However with states lined by the Atlantic Ocean, many saw this as an opportunity for provision of brand new slaves. The Domestic Slave Trade enforced the idea that the economic value of a person’s labor is always the priority. This idea was known as the Chattel

Slaves in the deep South had is worse because at this time, more than ever, they were seen as solely liquid assets. They were not seen as people in the slightest, rather animals who were bringing them cash. Because of this, masters were cruel and harsh to their slaves, doing providing for their slaves what would help them to produce as much cotton as possible.

As slavery went on, African-Americans began to become even more impatient and tiresome of their conditions. They wanted nothing more than to gain their freedom. Running away was the most risky thing a slave could do. Being captured could lead to death. The first time Frederick Douglass tried to run away, he was sold out, being imprisoned and whipped severely.

Running away posed a problem because men usually and families to care for. Women were not always as physically fit as men were. Escaping slavery while trying to keep track of young children was vey risky. Because of this, the men of the family would escape and often times, leave their wives and children behind. Doing so put his entire family at risk. The wife would most likely get a severe whipping because the masters knew that they knew where their husbands were. The master would often times sell the family off to someone new just in case the man of the family decided to come back for the rest of the