Free Essay Sample on Slave Ship

Introduction

From the 16th to the mid-19th century, over 12.5 million enslaved Africans were forcefully placed on slave ships. Out of the 12.5 million African slaves, only 10.7 million individuals survived what was known as the notorious Middle Passage. The captives were being transported in vessels which flew the colors of different states namely France, Britain, Netherlands, and Portugal (Rediker, 2007). The ships departed from ports situated in these nations, carried slaves at more than one point along the African coast and transported them to different American parts. These vessels sailed along already established trade routes which were shaped by political forces, environmental factors including sea currents and winds, and commercial partnerships. The triangular system was undoubtedly the most famous of the trade routes, but almost all slaves traveled on those ships which traveled directly between Africa and the Americas. The Africans were forced in the decks of the slave vessels. At the time, they were captured using warfare there was a yield of many captives. Other enslavement methods involved pawning, kidnappings, and judicial proceedings. Dependent on the routes traveled by the captives and the means of capture, Africans at times found themselves in ships with people with the same cultures. This kind of situation did not reduce their suffering or worse conditions during the sail. The slaves in the sea were subjected to brutal violence, diseases, constant confinement, malnutrition, and sexual violence (Rediker, 2007).

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What Was New About the Slave Ships

The slave ship's genius was present in the mixture of various roles. In the first place, it served as a warship; a big and powerful vessel which was heavily loaded with artillery. The slave ship was also a factory which produced labor for the economy of the world. It made the race categories and was also a moving prison, where the sailors played crucial roles. There was a transformation in the ship itself. The ship's outward passage gave the crew the chance of building platforms in the lower decks as a means of increasing the numbers of individuals capable of being contained there. The crew would also create the barricade which was the defensive structure where the crew would hide in case there was an insurrection by the slaves. After the transportation of the slaves, these structures would be destroyed for the loading of sugar casks in the decks. This was done to ensure that when the ship arrived back in the port, it did not resemble a slave ship anymore. The ship and the physical structure were important aspects of the story. Marcus Redika claims that utpo date; the slave ships helped in shaping the current world, and gave way for industrialization and globalization (Rediker, 2007).

How Africans Experienced the Slave Ship

The slave ship was a hard life for the Africans and the captains effectively and quickly established their power. However, when they arrived in West Africa and the slaves began coming out, there was a whole new situation. The crew and the captain discovered that they had feared. They realized that they had many people on board who would kill them when given the chance. This had tendencies of driving the crew and captain together. From that point, until they arrived in the New World, the sailor had antagonistic relationships with the slaves. However, almost three-quarters of the journey, the captain began acting differently. The ship needed a big crew for getting to the West African coast and protecting the slaves. The crew became sicker and sicker, and they caught diseases including malaria and yellow fever. The slaves succumbed in large numbers which were greater compared to that of the slaves, approximately 15%-20%. During some voyages, the entire crew was wiped out which left behind a ghost ship. Some of the outstanding evidence which Redika discovered in the sailors was those of enslaved persons. There are different testimonies which described how sailors survived through this ordeal. A type of this testimony was written by Olaudah Equiano (Rediker, 2007).

Born in 1745, Equiano was almost eleven when he was kidnapped and traded to the slave traders who were headed for the West Indies. Although he had much of his life in Virginia, much of his time in slavery was spent by serving the slave ship captains and the navy vessels of the British. Henry Pascal provided Equiano with a new name, Gustavas Vassa. Equiano made vast voyages, traveling to countries such as Scotland, Caribbean, South Carolina, and Georgia. In 1763, he was bought by Robert King where he served in the capacity of a clerk. He also plied his trade in the trading sloops of the King. Equiano had the freedom of engaging in his own minor trade exchanges, and he saved enough money to buy his freedom. Equiano described the Middle Passage, a journey which was made across the Atlantic Ocean and led to the large numbers of Africans to North America. The ways he described the desperate conditions and extreme hardships are hidden by his astonishment over new experiences and sights. The narration reflected at how shocked Equiano was when he was introduced to the culture of the Europeans and how the slaves were treated. Equiano proceeded with his religious development and studies (Equiano, 1837)

The expeditions he made to England were often calamitous and were made of sieges in the Atlantic, West Indian Ocean, and Mediterranean. A level reached where Equiano believed he had become very powerful and useful to the white sailor. During voyages, Equiano bought and sold fruits and goods, something which did not go well with the white traders (Bugg, 2006). Regardless of facing insults and setbacks from white buyers, Equiano was very much focused on obtaining his freedom. He was encouraged in his efforts of entrepreneurship by King as he acknowledged his efforts to buy his freedom. Equiano, just like other African slaves, experienced the harsh environmental conditions and the brutality of the white slave owners (Bugg, 2006).

Every captain in the ship assumed that the enslaved would try anything just to escape. There was everything geared towards overcoming resistance, from the manacles, whips, barricades, and the chains. The slave ship was considered a war zone where people were engaged in unending freedom wars. One out of the ten slave ships had slave rebellions which were great to the extent that there was a loss of life (Rediker, 2013). The capacity of Africans from diverse backgrounds communicating on the ship was very great. The boys would pass on messages from the chamber of men to that of women. In these kinds of communication, there was cooperation against the common prosecutors. The methods and patterns of oppression were carried on to the shore on the slave plantations. The culture of the African-Americans started on these ships with people identifying ways of cooperating to mount the best resistance. There is considerable information pointing out that the insurrections frequency led to increased investment costs, less trade profitability, and discouragement of future investments (Rediker, 2013).

Conclusion

The Africans were forced in the decks of the slave vessels. At the time, they were captured using warfare and this yielded many captives. Some other enslavement methods included pawning, kidnappings, and judicial proceedings. The slave ship had distinct features. The slave ships served as a warship; a big and powerful vessel which was heavily loaded with artillery. The slave ship was also a factory which produced labor for the economy of the world. The slave ship was a hard life for the Africans and the captains effectively and quickly established their power. Equiano was almost eleven when he was kidnapped and traded to the slave traders who were headed for the West Indies. The life of Equiano is typical of what an ordinary slave experienced in the slave ships during the voyages. The narration reflected at how shocked Equiano was when he was introduced to the culture of the Europeans and how the slaves were treated. Equiano proceeded with his religious development and studies. The culture of the African-Americans started on these ships with people identifying ways of cooperating to mount the best resistance. The slave ships provided the room for African slaves to begin resisting against white oppression (Rediker, 2013).

References

Deciphering the Equiano archives (The 'Other Interesting Narrative - Olaudah Equiano's Public Book Tour' by John Bugg). (2006, October 1). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299185039_Deciphering_the_Equiano_archives_The_'Other_Interesting_Narrative_-_Olaudah_Equiano's_Public_Book_Tour'_by_John_Bugg

Equiano, O. (1837). The Life of Olaudah Equiano: Or Gustavus Vassa, the African.

Rediker, M. (2013). The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom. Penguin.

Rediker, M. (2007). The Slave Ship: A Human History. London, England: Penguin.