Slavery__the_Benefits_and_Patterns_of_Using_Africans_as_a_Work_Force_for_Europeans

Before African slaves became the primary choice for labor for white Europeans, those looking to escape from religious persecution in England were brought to work as indentured servants. Why then did Europeans go from using indentured servants to using slaves' And not just slaves in general, but African slaves' Many believe the answers lie in the economics of the time, while others believe it has to do with bigoted views towards Africans. Few occurrences throughout history happen for a solitary reason; the usage of African slaves in the colonies is not one of them. The Eurocentric colonial American ruling class was motivated to use the slave trade for two main reasons. The first was the many benefits and advantages that using African slaves brought about: they were cheaper to obtain, less expensive to maintain, and better workers. At the same time their African origin made them an easy target for exploitation and enslavement. The second reason, and the more general one, is that history repeats itself. Slavery has existed since agriculture began thousands of years ago, and continues today in some parts of the world. By exploring these reasons we can better understand why the Europeans turned to using African slaves in the colonies. Before her death in 1603, Queen Elizabeth I instituted the trade system known as mercantilism in England. The mercantile system is a political and economic policy used to obtain economic supremacy over other nations. The goal of mercantilism is to export as much as possible, while importing as little as possible in order to grow and maintain the wealth of a state (Brody & Henretta, 30-32). Later on, laws like the Navigation Acts followed through with Queen Elizabeth’s wide scale attempt of emplacing this policy. These laws held that colonists would only trade through England, meaning that only English or colonial owned ships could enter or exit an American port (Brody & James, 69). If the colonists wanted to trade with a country other than England they were required to do so through English shipping, by laws that were enforced by through the military. Because of these laws, colonists had to spend a great deal of money on English ships when exporting some ten million pounds of tobacco, at the height of the boom, and also caused them to miss out on the money they would have made if they had traded directly with other countries like the Netherlands, whose Dutch merchants paid the most for tobacco and sold the best goods (Brody & Henretta, 49). Mercantilism made its biggest impact on colonial economics in 1660, the end of the tobacco boom. Colonies were not making nearly as much money as they had during its peak; in fact, prices of tobacco had fallen to about one-tenth the price it had been during the boom (Brody & Henretta, 49). Indentured servants were not cheap, and mercantilist policies did not leave the colonists with much to work with. With this dramatic drop in the price tobacco could be sold for, came the need for an equally dramatic drop in the price of producing the tobacco, and soon the option of using African slaves came about. The easiest way to explain how Europeans would benefit financially by using slaves would be with the basic economic rule of supply and demand. When the demand of a good increases, the supply of the good will decrease, causing its price to then increase (Wahl). In this case, the demanded good of Colonial Americans would be workers, meaning indentured servants from England. However, often when a highly demanded good becomes expensive and scarce, a substitute good is introduced. A substitute good is essentially the same as an initial good, but just costs less. African trade slaves were introduced to the colonists as a substitute for indentured servants once they had become too expensive, so the colonists began using them. African slaves proved more useful than indentured servants in more ways than just to save money. When African slaves were first introduced to the colonies, people still used indentured servants, along with some Indian slaves (The Slave Trade). However, Indian slaves were seen as unreliable because of their susceptibility to diseases brought over by the Europeans, while indentured servants, although resistant to Europeans diseases, were susceptible to the tropical diseases of the new land, and were also not used to it’s weather or climate. Because Indians and indentured servants kept getting sick, they cost more to take care of and keep alive to work another day. Africans, on the other hand, proved to be resistant to the tropical diseases and to the Europeans diseases that afflicting the Indians and indentured servants. They were also used to the harsh weather conditions in Africa, so they required no ecological adjustment period once they arrived (Boddy-Evans). Furthermore, their resistance to diseases and weather were not the only conditions Africans were accustomed to; for many, slavery was something common to them as well. African enslavement and trade had been common for centuries before it was introduced to the colonies. So, very often slaves had, at least some, knowledge or experience in the ways of agriculture and/or other skills required by a slave (Studying Africa). Africans were also said to be much more efficient and productive workers, because they could work very hard over demanding hours while completing strenuous tasks. Once the colonists realized the many benefits of using slaves, the most common position of an African was as one, however, indentured servants were treated in very much the same way as slaves (Fabian, 2009). Africans very dark skin set them apart from the Europeans; but their skin color was not necessarily why they were enslaved. In The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavas Vassa the African, we see and experience the life of a slave through Equiano’s eyes, and, although much of it is tragic, there are a few aspects that go to show that Europeans were not racist against Africans. Equiano was given an education, was baptized in a church, and, later on in his life, was offered his freedom at the price for which he was purchased (Equiano, 1999). Equiano would never have been given these opportunities has his masters been racist to his ethnicity. However, regardless of his personal experiences, many others still treated slaves very poorly. As the use of African slaves increased, the use of indentured servants died out, and Europeans began to associate Africans with slavery, eventually seeing them as a lesser race altogether. This view allowed Europeans, in their own minds, to accept African exploitation, and not only justified the use of their enslavement, but made them the obvious choice as the slave race. Although, the Europeans were not the first to pass this kind of judgment; which brings us to the next point, that Europeans began using African slaves because of history repeating. Before slavery was introduced to the new world, several European countries, particularly Portugal, had already been trading African slaves across the Atlantic Ocean for over a century. However, throughout history dark skin color was associated with poor workers and slaves since bonded labor was introduced millennia before, when agriculture began (Reshafim). Poorer peoples and slaves especially, often worked outside all day, causing their skin to darken, while wealthy landowners remained indoors, sheltered from the sun, keeping their skin color very light; hence the rich were pale, and the poor were dark. Colonial America did not participate in the Atlantic Slave Trade until the first shipment of twenty “Negros” was sent to Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. On the other hand, slavery had existed as a prominent aspect of African culture for centuries before the practice had been adopted by the colonists (Educational Broadcasting Corporation). African culture was well aware of the benefits of slavery, and even approved laws that allowed slave owners to alienate them (Boddy-Evans). African slave trading began as a tribal tradition. After battles, tribes would collect prisoners from opposing tribes to trade as slaves with other tribes for food and other goods. When Europeans became involved in the trade, slaves were traded for beads, alcohol, metals, and, most importantly, guns. When guns were introduced to African culture, competition between tribes greatly increased (Studying Africa). More war prisoners meant more slaves to trade, more slaves to trade meant more guns, and more guns meant more power and higher standing. Guns made all the difference in whether a tribe or kingdom would dominate or be dominated, leaving merchants in Africa dependent upon the slave trade. The Atlantic Slave Trade incited increased warfare throughout Africa and caused the economy to be dependent upon it. African merchants offered active, complete, and even enthusiastic cooperation when trading with Europeans, making it very easy to obtain slaves (Boddy-Evans). African slaves were used all over the world for centuries. When the time came for the colonists to find new means of a work force, the system of buying, selling, and trading African slaves was already available and at their disposal. Moreover, at the rate of which slaves were being exported from Africa, at the price that they were being sold for, it would have been illogical for them not to take part in the trade. However, it was not an African’s race that destined him to be a slave. The extent to which slavery and racism were taken in America years after had much to do with skin color, but it was not what started it. In fact, racism was most likely caused from slavery. Slavery was brutal, immoral, and unfair, but at the same time it was highly profitable system, which is exactly why Europeans used them; and, under the circumstances, it was inevitable for the Europeans to begin using slaves in the colonies. They had done so for centuries before, and were continuing a practice that countries all over the world had been participating in for centuries. Bibliography "Ancient Egypt: Slavery, it’s Causes and Practice." Reshafim. http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/slavery.htm (accessed September 20, 2010). Boddy-Evans, Alistair. "African History: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade." African History - Explore the History of Africa. http://africanhistory.about.com/od/slavery/tp/TransAtlantic001.htm (accessed September 19, 2010). Brody, David, and James A. Henretta. America: A Concise History, Volume 1: To 1877. Fourth Edition ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 30-32, 49, 69. Educational Broadcasting Corporation. "Slavery and the Making of America . Timeline | PBS." PBS. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/timeline/index.html (accessed September 20, 2010). Equiano, Olaudah. The Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African (Dover Thrift Editions). New York: Dover Publications, 1999. Fabian, Sharon. Indentured Servants. edHelper, 2009. "The Slave Trade." United States History. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h603.html (accessed September 19, 2010). Wahl, Jenny B. "Slavery in the United States." EH.Net | Economic History Services. http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/wahl.slavery.us (accessed September 18, 2010). "Module 7B: African History, the Era of Global Encroachment." Unit Two: Studying Africa through the Social Studies Module 7B: African History, the Era of Global Encroachment. http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m7b/activity1.php (accessed September 20, 2010).