American History

Slavery was regarded as a very peculiar institution which was strongly defended by those who gained from it while at the same time, the slaves themselves hated this activity but had very little to do so as to get out of it. The white farmers in both the South and the North vehemently opposed the activity by viewing it as evil. Slavery was regarded as an economic necessity for some, a business for some, and for the slaves themselves, it was their way of life which they eagerly wanted to escape.

Slave viewed the activity as exploitation and control by slave owners so that they could provide available and cheap labor force. They viewed the exploitation as a direct one while at the same time they felt used to help the white people live a comfortable life. There was oppression in the camps where these slaves were taken to work in. slaves were always in heavy chains and caning was the routine in these camps. Many people died before reaching their destinations where they could work.

Slaves worked for very little money and in some instances, slaves were not paid at all and were only use the produce from the firms as source of food. Some slave owners lowly valued their slaves while others were relatively well treated by their masters. It is a fact that slaves were roughed up to accomplish their jobs through canning and all sorts of abuses. This highly affected the self esteem of these slaves who were handled like animals.

The slave system according to the slaves was like putting some one in cage. In the first place, slaves were not allowed to decide on the number of working hours they could manage but were forced with busy schedules that left them with no time for rest. Slaves could not decide on their own but had to follow orders from their master regarding any decision. Slaves viewed the slavery system as a prison since they were not allowed to get out of the firm premises without permission and it was almost impossible to get the permission to go anywhere since slaves were known for escaping due to the bad working conditions in these camps.

According to slaves, the slave system viewed them as goods since they could be exchanged for goods and services such as alcohol and clothes and some were even sold for a mirror. Slaves never liked the slave system and they often took it as prison since when slave trade extended to Africa, convicted criminals were given punishment through enslaving them. In Africa, few were used in the domestic slave markets while the rest were sold to the Europeans. In some cases, slaves went through painful experiences since some were offered as sacrificial rituals and this was common in the Kingdom of Dahomey and Cameroon. In other places such as Ghana, slaves were treated well as members of the family and were also given the right of marriage without the consent of the master.

This was contrary to the Americas where slaves were never allowed to marry without the permission of the master. Slaves felt that the slave system in some places infringed on their rights and freedom to live like other human beings. Slaves who revolted or committed other offences were charged with execution. This was the case with slavery in the Old World but the system changed during the new world. Slaves in the new world are faced with discrimination at all levels, and hate. Slaves thought of the system as very oppressive and inhuman since the treatments that they faced were very brutal for humanity. Using slaves as sacrifice reduce a person to an animal and slaves saw the system as something run by people who have no heart at all and could not help people with problems.

Slaves viewed the system as something that is meant to make the few oppressors rich while the poor, who were the slaves to remain poor and to be killed once they can not be productive anymore. Most of the slaves who were sold to the Europeans were kidnapped from their villages and they included young boys and girls. They were then sold from where they were taken to work in farms owned by these Europeans. Slaves were transported so far away such that they could not manage to come back to their countries.

Slaves have it that the system had a great impact on the individuals and their culture. Many people died while being transported to where they were going to be enslaved. It is reported that the number of slaves who died during the transportation is more than the actual number who reached their destination.
The slave system greatly affected the population growth mostly in Africa from where most slaves came from. It is also at this time when America and Europe achieved high economic growth and technological advancement since the returns from slavery were used to boost their economy.

It is widely accepted that slave trade is the main cause of poverty in Africa. The exportation of very many people from Africa has brought a great domestic disaster and it has resulted in to the continued poverty that is currently experienced in Africa. The slave trade disrupted growth of the economy since the top merchants left their traditional industry so as to pursue slave trade.