Economic Effect of the Slave Trade from 1492 to1877
Economic Effect of the Slave Trade from 1492 – 1877
Slavery is a historical vent that had diverse social, economic and political implications on the affected individuals. Slave trade basically constituted Africans being sold to America to provide labor on the vast lands that had been discovered. The trade disrupted various facets of the African as well as the American society in different ways. The massive transportation of millions of individuals form one part of the continent to the other undoubtedly had various implications. Fundamentally, Africans considered it unjust especially because they were exposed to inhumane conditions and a high degree of brutality. However, the perpetrators of this trade were driven by the economic incentive. Historical evidence indicates that the mere engagement in slave trade was economically rewarding and as such, the merchants considered it an ideal opportunity to reap economic returns. It is against this background that this paper explores the economic effect of slavery from 1992 to 1877.
As aforementioned, slave trade had massive economic implications to both America and Africa. In Africa, it is widely agreed that slave trade had adverse impacts on the economic wellbeing of the society. In this regard, the trade targeted able bodied men who were instrumental for providing labor in the continent. Traditionally, African men were solely concerned with economic production. They worked in fields and went hunting in order to provide for the economic needs of their families. Slavery denied African families this important labor and as such, economic productivity was halted. Although the women assumed the roles of working in the fields, their level of productivity was comparatively lower as compared to those of the men. This can partly be attributed to the fact that they were not accustomed to performing heavy manual duties in the farms.
Further, the economic production of Africans was disrupted and reversed by the common civil war. According to historical evidence, slave raids were in most instances were characterized by violence and culminated in mistrust (Law 32). The volatile violent conditions made to difficult for the population to undertake economic activities in an effective manner. Slavery also led to the dissolution of important political structures that were instrumental in anchoring economic production. In his study, Manning indicates that the African society was characterized by various intricate and augmenting factors (Manning 64). Disruption of one facet of the society therefore had devastating impact on the wellbeing of the rest of the facets. Economic production was influenced by social and political factors too. Therefore, dissolution of important political structures as a result of civil wars and mistrust had direct negative impacts on the African economy.
Slavery also had adverse emotional impacts on the holistic wellbeing of the society. In this respect, it culminated in mental illnesses because of the psychological distress that the populations were exposed to. As a result, the performance of the populations was affected adversely. Most of them could not work on farms or engage in several other economic activities because of insecurity. Moreover, significant resources were employed in rehabilitating the community and addressing the wide ranging health implications that were affecting its entire wellbeing. These resources would have otherwise been useful in enhancing the general wellbeing as well as quality of life of the Africans.
Africans that participated actively in the slave trade benefited significantly from the economic returns. Manning asserts that slaves as a trade commodity was very expensive (Manning 60). At the peak of this trade, the middlemen who comprised of African kings and village elders benefited significantly. Nonetheless, a significant percentage of the returns were spent on buying British weapons that were of very low quality. Most of them spent their returns on other luxury goods such as textiles, salt and iron ore. From a general point of view, these goods were important in enhancing the quality of life of the populations that were left behind. However, not all segments of the population benefited from these.
As identified earlier, slave trade also had significant implications on the economic wellbeing of the Americans. Essentially, slaves were bought by the American population in order to provide manual labor on the large scale farms. Increased labor culminated in increased economic returns. The agricultural yields increased significantly and the monetary value from these returns also improved. Using the capital that was gained from Agricultural production, the American population was able to diversify its economic sphere. In particular, Lovejoy indicates that the population was able to engage in other forms of economic production (Lovejoy 77). Industrialization and trade activities increased significantly. This was attributable to the huge capital that the population got from improved agricultural production. The diversification of the American economy was useful in cushioning the populations against economic problems that affected their wellbeing in different ways.
Just like their African counterparts, the White and Indian populations that engaged in slave trade accumulated significant financial resources. As indicated earlier, slavery was a very expensive business that involved innumerable resources. The benefits that the participants got from this trade were useful in enhancing their quality of life. A percentage of these were also directed at developing distinctive ships that were employed in further ferrying the slaves to America. Arguably, slavery culminated in technological advancements in this regard. The merchants that concerned themselves with ship making undoubtedly benefited from the improved business.
The emergence of industrialization had beneficial impacts on the American population. Various industries were developed to process or manufacture various products. For instance, the increase in cotton production culminated in increased development and expansion of cotton ginneries. This was rewarding to the White population that was offered employment opportunities in the respective industries (Williams 33). In essence, it improved their quality of life because of an increase in their income levels. Moreover, the respective population also benefited immensely from the quality products that processing and manufacturing industries produced. High quality products had direct positive impacts on the quality of their life. At this point, it is also worth noting that besides working on the large scale farms, some of the slaves were responsible for providing domestic labor. Likewise, this was important in enhancing the wellbeing of the White populations.
According to Inikori and Engerman, the returns from the improved agricultural production were also employed in improving social utilities as well as amenities (Inikori and Engerman 81). In particular, the respective returns were used for improving infrastructure such as roads, schools and so forth. This improved the general quality of life of the populations and enhanced their standards of living. To a great extent, increased returns from Agricultural production culminated in an organized political system. Power and influence was determined by the amount of wealth that the individuals had. Historical evidence ascertains that the large scale farmers in the South were more powerful and influential as compared to their counterpart merchants in the north. The respective power was attributable to the wealth that the populations in the south had.
Historical documents indicate that the accumulation of wealth by the Europeans from the slave trade led to the occurrence of civil wars. Just like in the African scenario, those with more wealth tended to undermine the poor. According to historical documents, more conflicts culminated from the slave trade itself (Inikori and Enegrman 84). There are also certain facets of the society that were opposed to the slave trade because of the brutal and inhuman conditions that the slaves were exposed to. This was also a cause of conflicts between different communities.
In sum, slave trade had diverse implications on the economic wellbeing of the involved parties. As it has come out from the study, Africans lost important labor because the trade required able-bodied men. This impacted negatively on their economic production and coupled with psychological distress, war and conflicts, the economic wellbeing of this society was completely destructed. The African kings, village elders, Indians and other middlemen that participated in the trade had huge benefits because the slaves were very expensive. The American economy on the other hand thrived because of the free slave labor that was provided by the slaves. Increased capital culminated in diversification of the economy and emergence of industrialization. The American society also improved its standards of living because of improved social amenities and utilities. However, this trade also increased incidences of conflicts amongst the White population.
Works Cited
Inikori Joseph and Engerman Stanley. The Atlantic Slave Trade: Effects on Economies, Societies and People’s in Africa, the Americas and Europe. USA: Duke University Press, 1992. Print.
Law Robin. The Slave Coast of West Africa, 1550-1750: The Impact of the Atlantic Slave Trade on an African Society. Oxford: University Press, 1991. Print.
Lovejoy, Paul. Transformations in Slavery. Cambridge: University Press, 1983. Print.
Manning Patrick. Slavery and African Life: Occidental, Oriental and African Slave Trades. Cambridge: University Press, 1990. Print.
Williams Eric. Capitalism and Slavery. USA: The University of North Carolina Press, 1994. Print.
