Slaves In South America example essay topic

The capturing and selling of Africans were called slavery. In the Americans, the principle of slavery was the same, but the lifestyles and ideologies were different. After much research, the major differences between slavery in the North and South America (which will also be referred to as American and Spanish colonies) were the selection of slaves, their freedom, and treatment of slaves. As I stated in my introduction the principle of slavery was the same. Slaves in both colonies were used for cultivation of land and as a product of trade.

Slaves were transported the same way: on ship. Each man had an individual hole and they were chained together. The women were not chained but the endured many nights of being raped by the merchants and head of the ship. The men impregnated many of the women. When it was time to have the child, the woman was placed in a room that was no bigger than a closet until they delivered. They were not given any care during the pregnancy and after.

After they had the child they were to return to work the next day. In result many women died. The majority of the Africans suffered from malnutrition and / or starvation, causing many to die. For the slaves that survived when they stepped off the ship many took the smiles for happiness, when they were mere sighs of relief.

Most of this information was taken from Ain't I A Woman: Black Women and Feminism by Bell Hooks. This brutal treatment did not last long for long for the slaves in the Spanish colonies and Latin America. Slaves who were brought to the Spanish colonies were not only African, they were also Spanish. They all experienced the same type of oppression. Slaves in South America were looked at as members of society, no on was inferior. The Catholic Church protected the slaves from abuse because they were concerned with the welfare of their souls.

In some Latin American countries, when slaves were severely beaten they could go to the courts and report their owners. In some cases, the slave was granted their freedom. The Catholic Church and Latin America did not oppose things such as marriage between black and whites. These things are the complete opposite in the American colonies. In the American colonies, slaves were treated as property. Africans were singled out by the Europeans because of their suppose superior strength.

Slaveowners used physical and sexually abuse to emotionally dehumanize the slaves. The courts upheld the abuse because slaves again were considered property, and you could do whatever you wanted to do with your property. Slaves who tried escaped and were captured endured cruel punishment. African were stripped of their heritage and given European names; they had to adjust to European customs.

The slaves were not educated, so slaveowners could use their ignorance as a reason to keep them oppressed. Slavery in the American colonies was the longest slavery ever recorded. Although slavery is over, the effects still exist. In the United States, hate groups and racial riot still happening. People use the history of slavery as an excuse to continue the long line of violence and struggle between races. If we could learn from our history and grow instead of fight, the U.S., the world would grow and racism would end.

Hooks, Bell, Ain't I A Woman: Black Women and Feminism. Cambridge: South End Press, 1981.