Journal

Henry Ezeonyido Anth. 274 Prof. Patrick Sylvain Journal 2 The Atlantic Slave Trade and Slavery- C.L.R James. C.L.R James is one of the most notable writers in the West Indies and with this article on slave and slave trade; he brought vividness to the concept of slavery and its origin. James pointed that slavery have long beenin existence in places like Europe and ancient Greece, long before African was discovered by Columbus. There was even a mention of slavery in African whereby a father sells his son for as a result of undesirable behavior. James went on to describe the uses of slave, education, resistance and the community within which the slaves dwell in. In the sixteen century like James noted, central Africa was a place of peace and happy civilization where people moved freely without fear. This lifestyle was interrupted by the European arrival. Tribal life, culture and sense of self were shattered and Africans find themselves fighting each other for survival. There were destruction agricultural products (crops, cattle field) which eventually led to cannibalism. C.L.R James gave a vivid expression quote “the stockades of grinning skulls, the human sacrifices, the selling of their own children as slaves and many other forms of violence were the product of an intolerable pressure on the Africans people, which became fiercer through the centuries as the demand of industry workers increased.” It was estimated that about 50 million African slaves crossed the Atlantic ready to be sold. Many were taken forcefully and many were killed. Adaptation to the new environment is normally problematic for the slaves resulting in shock that stripped them of their former personalities and rendered their cultural background meaningless. But despite their agony there were still some resistance. As much as the Europeans were capturing the Africans, revolts became highly expected. Most slaves on the ship often attack the captain and crew members, seizing...