More Slaves example essay topic

When the assignment was given out on Hell Below Deck, I had no previous knowledge about this topic. As I was reading the information about two months ago, I was totally taken back at how horribly the slaves were treated. To experience the kind of pain and suffering they went through, I am sure it was unbearable. Half way through the reading, I caught my self with my mouth slightly open and in disbelief of the type of treatment they received. I was disgusted with the unsanitary conditions of the ship and how inhumane the crew members were. Not to mention how many slaves were packed on the ships.

They would crammed hundred of slaves and make them pill on top on of one another. The more slaves meant more money. Crew member saw nothing but dollar signs when they looked at the slaves. Not men and women who deserve equal amount of respect as the crew. When it came to nutrition on the ship, there were some slaves who would rather starve themselves rather then eating.

I guess they figured their lives could not get any worse so they decided to give up. When I was doing my reaction paper for this topic, I automatically knew I wanted to do this for my subject report. I wanted to go deeper with this topic. I was just not sure how specific I could get with it, but I choose to narrow it down to the types of diseases that were spread on the slave ships. As I researched the diseases I realized how much pain these poor people when through. It has given me a different perspective on my own life and just how lucky I really am.

The ships were death traps to the slaves. They were on board for two to three months knowing that when they reach their destination they would be sold and their life would not ever be the same. Death was common on the ship. Many committed suicide by starvation or jumping overboard. Another common factor that contributed to death were the diseases that were spread on board. Two diseases that were most common were smallpox and ophthalmic.

The crew member would have to take immediate action because in fear of an outbreak. Also, since the crew packed slaves in so tightly, they could not take the chance of the diseases spreading to other slaves. Again, the more slaves delivered the more money. When diseases were contracted on the ship, death was their only option.

They would suffer and die naturally. Or crew members would throw these men and women overboard. There was no type of medication to cure or relieve the slaves for pain. Back when all this took place, smallpox was a very common diseases. The beginning of smallpox is uncertain, but it is believed to have originated in Africa and then spread to India and China thousands of years ago. Millions of people died as a result of widespread smallpox outbreak.

I researched more about smallpox and as I was reading the symptoms, I just could not understand what these people went through. Some symptoms are, high fever reaching around 104 degrees, extreme lethargy, severe headache and backache, and severe abdominal pain and vomiting. Now just try and imagine being on a tight crammed ship with hundreds of slaves breathing in the same air. And on top of that, not having the right medication to take care of their health. Another horrible diseases that was spread on the ship was ophthalmia. The exact cause is unknown, but it is believed to be related to sensitivity to pigment.

The injured eye becomes inflamed first, and the other eye follows. Symptoms include photophobia, redness, and blurred vision; in some cases, there are also "floaters" and possibly pain. Ophthalmia is a potentially blinding, inflammatory condition, which usually follows severe trauma to eyes. If someone was to develop the disease today, they would get treatment or undergoing surgery, but back two or three centuries ago there was nothing that could have prevented this disease to the slaves. Once you had caught this, there was no way of getting rid of the disease. I read that when you contracted this disease, the first few stages are manageable.

The crew often expected the slaves to perform their daily routine. They would also taunt and tease them on a daily basis. The sources that were used are considered secondary sources. There is not proof of how many slaves died during the Middle Passage, and no type of proof of how each one died. But there are facts that were gathered together proofing that small pox and ophthalmic were typically causes for death on the slave ship... I can honestly say that by doing further research on this topic, I have learned so much more then I thought.

Reading more and more about the lives of the slaves, I got a sense of what it must have been like to actually been boarded on one of the ships. When I would read further, I would get more and more disgusted. But I found out that the more repulsing it was, the more intriguing it was to me. Not only did I learn about the their lives, I learned a little bit more about myself.

I found out have more respect for people then I thought. When I think about bad things that I did, nothing seems to compare to how horrible this was. Sometimes when I was reading certain information, I would wonder how their lives turned out after the ship. What happened to them when they were sold? Did they live a peaceful life?

Or were they just scarred by what they had experienced? I can only imagine the type of impact this had on the slaves. Most of them were young adults. And as being a young adult myself, I found that we are extremely impressionable. This could have been a huge impact of the slaves. There must have been some type of serious psychological effects on the people.

I consider myself to be a peaceful person. Sometimes when I read a particular situation in history, I just wish there was some way to go back in time and start all over. Just look at this life like it is a trial run. We learn from all of the mistakes so next time we will not make it twice.

I am not really sure where I am going with this, but I guess things happen for a reason and there must have been some type of point in the outcome. My criticisms for this book is generally good. It was an intriguing topic to read about. It was very graphic and paint a vivid picture in your head, and makes you experience some type of raw emotion. Once I would read one thing about their lives, I found myself getting further and further into it, which was great. I learned a lot about people and character.

I got to do a little medical research also, which I also enjoyed doing. On the other hand, I was kind of upset when I was looking at all the pictures. They just seem so sad and alone. It weird, no one knows exactly what they went through. I think my personality is a little too sensitive for this. Some of the things I read got me very upset and angry.

It made me wonder about a lot of stuff that was going on around me in that moment. It was a very negative topic to do. When I look back in hind sight, I am still happy that I chose this topic. I probably would not have been as involved with any other subject.

Overall, it was great assignment. I actually had a discussion with my mom about the Middle Passage the other day. And we were arguing our point of views, it was very enlightening. This brought out a lot of emotions I never knew I had about history. It was very interesting and insightful.