The term Atlantic slave trade refers to the transference of African people who had been enslaved from areas like Africa and America. The enslaved people were put up for auction once they had been transported to their destination. The trade route used for transporting slaves was the triangular trade route and Middle Passage. This process is noted to have been carried on from 16th century till 19th century. In addition to the trade route, it has been observed that the Portuguese were one of the first slave traders and their first voyage was in 1526 which landed them in Brazil. The reason why the Portuguese were first to land on the native lands is that they were in search of gold that was all brought to Europe. Aside from this, the Portuguese wished to form a link with the Asian market in order to trade silk and spices. Soon after the Portuguese were followed by other European countries which led to an increase in the slave trade process. This shows that Spain and Portuguese were the instigators of this heinous act as they spread the word that gold was to be found in the African regions which led to the initiation of slaves and slave trade.
Why was the life of a slave so drastically different in the US, the Bahamas, and Brazil?
Slaves were treated differently in each region due to the difference in labor that was imposed on the enslaved Africans. Most of the slaves were forced to work in the fields while the other slaves were made to work on other commodities like clothing. In Brazil, slaves were made to work in the sugarcane fields which required them to spend 24 to 48 hours so that the sugar canes would not go bad. This is one of the examples that highlight the amount of work that was required from every slave. It also shows that life had been made harsh for the enslaved Africans as they were not given time to rest.
How were the populations of slaves in various geographical locations up kept and why were they sustained in different ways?
The slave owners realized that keeping the slaves alive long enough would increase the cost of each and every one of them. Therefore, the enslaved Africans were allowed to have reproduced and had their own families, thereby increasing the number of black people in different parts of the region. However, it did not imply at all that the slaves would be treated well as the slave owners came up with different ways to punish them from time to time in order to show them that the white race was superior. Aside from this procedure, more and more slaves were imported from Africa and sold at higher prices/
Why could it be argued that slavery is entirely a result of the introduction of consumer culture?
If one looks at the definition of the term consumer culture, it explains how slavery is an outcome of it. Consumer culture refers to the kind of material culture that is supported by the market, thereby creating a relationship between the consumer and the goods that the individual uses or consumes. In this context, slaves were brought to America where they were sold at the slave market and each slave owner found a task for his or her slave.
In previous videos, it was said the introduction of agriculture may have caused slavery. Why could this be argued and what evidence from this video supports that idea?
Initially, the Portuguese had invaded the native lands in order to mine gold and in turn ended up enslaving the natives who were then brought to America where they were sold to different slave owners, at whose mercy they were forced to spend their entire lives. Places like Brazil that relied heavily on their crops needed workers and the enslaved Africans were put up to this task. Therefore, the slaves had to work in fields such as those of cotton, tobacco, production of a different commodity so on and so forth.
References
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnV MTFEGIY
