Slavery

5 Pages 1240 Words

The evolution of slavery is crucial to understanding the importance of currently standing issues. Slavery began in 1440 when Portugal started to trade slaves with West Africa. By the 16th century, Western Europeans developed an organized system of trading slaves. However, the slave trade did not run as smoothly as expected. Slaves were revolting and tried to flee the hardships of labor. Regardless of these attempts, slavery expanded, leading to the "Triangle Trade." This trade, between Europe, Africa and the Americas, is held responsible for the dispersal of Africans in the Western hemisphere. This organized system lasted until the 1800's. Shortly after the War of Independence there was an intended law to abolish slavery. This law was stalled when the United States allowed the slavery to continue until 1800. A federal law, which was passed in 1793, allowed for the Fugitive Slave Act, which continued the slave trade and prohibited the freedom of the Africans.

In order to understand the origins of the Middle Passage one must know its purpose. The Middle Passage was a systematic process of retrieving Africans for the "Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade," as workers in the Atlantic world. This process combined the organization of voyages in Europe and the United States. In this time period, the slaves were transported to slave factories and were held captives of their own freedom.

Before the Middle Passage began a slave trade already existed in Africa, but this slave trade was much different than the one that Europe would create for the Africans as the Atlantic World developed. The difference was, in Europe the slaves were dehumanized and viewed as property while in Africa, humans were still humans. Also some of the reasons that the Africans were enslaved in their own country traced back to their current status. If a person had committed a crime, were prisoners of war, or had a debt that was unpaid then they were enslaved by a greater force...