Produced goods by black slaves such as Cotton and Tobacco was taken back to Europe as they needed these products in everyday life. When they got back to Europe the trade started all over again.
Not just this but for the slaves coming from Africa and going to Europe the Journey to America was a horrific nightmare.
^ This is how the ship was set up. All the slaves were tightly packed together in decks that were 2 feet high.
Diseases were easy to happen and if 1 slave had a disease it would spread vastly. This source is reliable as white people had no mercy for black people as if they were not human – so they would do everything they can to get the slaves to America faster.
On arrival slaves were auctioned as they were possessions not human. The highest bidder would then take their slave and give them a new English name e.g. John. And most slaves were not aloud to speak their own language.
< An advertisement to
Sell black slaves.
1800 -£70 <slaves
1840 -£600 were
1850 -£1500 much
1860 -£2000 needed
Living & Working Conditions
Africans had to rely on their owners to provide with them with a house or building materials to build a house. Slaves did not dare complain as they would have received punishment.
Slaves were allocated in the plantation; either owner provided them with a house or materials to build a house.
To save money they even put 10 slaves in one little hut.
People who worked in the plantation house were generally given better housing, food and clothes.
Slaves were given very little food to cook with so slaves most lived on a diet of fatty meat and cornbread.
Slaves were given only a pair of shoes and 3 underwear a year- as if they were animals.
Most slaves had to work from sunrise to sunset. Some owners made their slaves work every day, others allowed slaves one day a month off and some allowed their slaves to have Sundays as a rest- day.
Slaves would spend their free time mending their huts, making pots and pans and relaxing. Some plantation owners allowed their slaves a small plot of land to grow things to supplement their diet.
Slaves had no choice in what work they were given and their work hours. Usually it was sunrise to sunset. Most slaves were given jobs in Plantations to Produce goods such as coffee, cotton and sugar.
Here are some slave everyday jobs:
< This is what an average plantation would have looked like.
A slave house ^ A cotton field ^
Slaves Operating a sugar cane press. Slaves operating a cotton gin.
Punishments
No punishment to slaves was too harsh or mean. Punishments were often given in the little of things e.g.
Not enough work done or even sweeping wrong.
The punishments included were:
-Whipping
-Branding
-Body parts cut off
- Put in chains for days
- Kicking or Punching and many more.
Slaves that attempted to runaway were chased after by dogs and when found were either branded or hanged depending on the slave owner. Slave owners did not often hang slaves as their slaves were valuable.
Branding was when slave owners burned their slaves with a hot metal pole. Here is a slave who has been branded:
Olaudah Equiano
Olaudah Equiano was 11 years old when he was kidnapped from the forest and taken to America as a slave. He bought his freedom and all other black slaves have a right which you have taken away from them they all deserve Freedom.
Conclusion
Everyone deserves their freedom that’s why slavery should be abolished altogether. Look what every black slave has to go through, imagine you in that state- skin colour does not matter we are all the same. That’s why slavery should be abolished forever. THANK YOU.
