Dbq Essay On African Slave Trade

The Americas were full of tons of ways to make money. Originally the Native Americans were forced to work in mines and plantations, but eventually the use of Native Americans was outlawed. Because of this the african slave trade increased. They were treated horribly and without dignity. The absence of humanitarian concerns influenced the african slave trade in three main ways: treatment, punishment, and transportation.

There was no concern for the Africans' well being when it came to their treatment. The Europeans physically and mentally abused them. In document one it says “Their masters are making them work too hard and giving them too little to eat”. They were starved, making them too weak to work. Because they were too weak it often resulted in them being abused worse because they weren’t doing exactly what the Europeans wanted to even though they physically could not. They were beaten and chained together. In document 8 it says the slaves were cut, mangled, and all together treated with no respect. There was no respect for their lives and they were treated like animals. They were burned with an imprint to make it known that they were owned. Taking away any sense of freedom or dignity.

In document seven it says common crimes the slaves were punished for were neglect, absence of work, eating the sugar cane, theft. If they were caught committing these crimes they could be whipped, beaten with a stick, chained, an iron crook around the neck, a ring around their ankle, or confinement in the dungeon. There was no common decency, or sympathy when it came to the punishment or treatment of the Africans. In document 4 an image of people being thrown overboard is shown. This was also another punishment they might face if they “misbehaved”. They would be left to drown or be eaten in the ocean. These punishments shortened the life of many Africans and caused lots of