Transatlantic Slave Trade

Transatlantic Slave Trade

Since the seventeenth century and on, slaves were the heart and soul of the trade between Europe and Africa. The establishment of North and South America and the Caribbean islands from the fifteenth century forward, generated a voracious requirement for African laborers. Believed to have been more equipped to work in the stifling environment of the New World, these slaves were captured, beaten, and worked like dogs until their services were no longer needed, or they met their true death.

Despite supporters who claimed the capturing of these slaves was far from cruel, the inhumane enslavement of these people was without a doubt merciless. Many, specifically Christian participants, justified this enslavement by claiming, “that (any) owner who owns anything in good faith can sell it and that it can be bought” (Pomeranz 2011, p. 113). Essentially indicating that just like an ordinary marketplace item, if the owner was in good standing, people could be just as easily sold as well. Christian participants also perpetuated the idea that the majority of slaves were captured legally, meaning that they were bought from noble traders, and furthermore every slave “will always say they were stolen and captured illegally, in the hope that they will be given their liberty” (Pomeranz 2011, p. 113).

Despite ration and reason by members of the Christian community, there were many who just believed that slaves were just another piece of their greed puzzle that incorporated strenuous labor and the production of sugar. Many recognized the processing of sugar cane was dangerous and exhausting work, however countless “associated wealth with the sugar itself, not the labor necessary to grow” (Pomeranz 2011, p. 114), fundamentally blinding themselves to the brutality imposed upon the slaves.

In addition to the cruelty associated with the sugar trade, slaves also faced hardship during various junctions throughout the triangular trade route. From being...