The Global Presence of People of African Descent

This section discusses the global presence of people of African descent and how it is linked to the history of slavery.

Slavery as a Universal Institution

• Slavery has existed in many cultures and societies throughout history.

• When people think of slavery today, they often think of sub-Saharan Africans and their descendants.

Transatlantic Slave Trade

• The focus will be on the transatlantic slave trade, which was responsible for the forced migration of millions of Africans to the Americas.

• The experience and rationale behind this period will be drawn from first-hand accounts by individuals who lived through this history.

Mr. Brooks: A Major Slave Trader from Liverpool

This section provides insight into why Mr. Brooks became involved in buying and selling human beings.

Sugar Production and Labor Force

• Sugarcane was a crop that required a large labor force, but the Amerindians were almost entirely decimated by diseases brought by European settlers.

• Europeans turned to Africa for labor because they had already established good trading relations with several African kings and merchants with whom they traded gold, ivory, and spices.

Development of Slave Trade

• Forts were built along the Atlantic coast to protect traders, merchandise, and ship crews. These forts were also useful for developing the slave trade from the 16th century onwards when Portugal, England, Spain, Netherlands France, Denmark started this money-making trade.

• Firearms, precious fabrics, spirits, luxury products were exchanged on the African coast for men and women who had been made captives. They were then sold in the new world and forced violently into slavery.

Economic Model of Slave Trade

• Merchants, traders, bankers, insurers, and ship owners made vast profits from the slave trade. The same economic model was used from the early 16th century until the early 20th century in the Arab Muslim world.

Musa's Story: A Victim of Slavery

This section tells the story of Musa, a young African boy who became a victim of slavery.

Initiation Interrupted

• Musa was waiting impatiently for his initiation to become a man and learn the secrets of hunting in the forest.

• However, his village was attacked by Manhunters who captured him and his friend To Money.

Captured as Slaves

• The Manhunters carried firearms that rendered their spears useless against them. Even Siddiqui, their strongest warrior, was captured like a wild animal.

• Musa and To Money were attached to each other with a solid forked branch fastened at their necks while their hands and feet were roped together. They were taken away as slaves on horseback.

The Trans-Saharan and Atlantic Slave Trade

This section discusses the trans-Saharan and Atlantic slave trade, including the conditions of capture, transportation, and death rates.

Trans-Saharan Slave Trade

• Slaves were traded over desert routes in the Arab Muslim world.

• Slaves were also traded across sea routes such as the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea.

• Lalla from Kongo was captured by Manhunters while looking for firewood to cook dinner.

Atlantic Slave Trade

• Africans were crammed into ships' holds with shackles securely fastened to the ship's hull.

• Frequent outbreaks of major epidemics made the crossing even more fraught for African captives.

• A revolt occurred on board a ship where about 60 out of 410 Africans mostly women and children perished.

• Slave ships could take six weeks to two months to cross from the African coast to the other side of the Atlantic depending on various factors.

Methods Used to Ensure Hard Work by Slaves

This section discusses how Monsieur Massey ensured that his 182 slaves worked hard on his plantation.

Ensuring Hard Work by Slaves

• Monsieur Massey used physical and emotional terror to keep slaves in line.

• The concept of racial hierarchy was used to justify enslavement based on the supposed inferiority of Africans.

Examining and Marking Slaves

In this section, the speaker talks about how slaves were examined and marked like animals after being purchased.

Slaves Examination and Marking

• Slaves were examined by squeezing their arms and legs to check their vigor.

• Their teeth were checked to estimate their age.

• After being purchased, slaves were marked with the plantation brand just like a pig or a cow.

Making Christians Out of Slaves

In this section, the speaker talks about how slaves had to forget their culture, language, and customs after being converted into Christianity.

Converting Slaves into Christianity

• The speaker mentions that they made Christians out of slaves.

• The slaves had to forget their far-off savanna life as free women or freemen.

• They also had to forget their culture, language, and barbaric customs.

Treating Slaves Like Animals

In this section, the speaker talks about how some people believed that Negroes couldn't feel pain. He also discusses how the legal status of slaves treated them as movable goods chattels over which the master had full control.

Treating Slaves Like Animals

• Some people believed that Negroes couldn't feel pain and that their screams when being flogged were just playacting.

• The legal status of slaves treated them as movable goods chattels over which the master had full control even if he considered putting them to death suitable punishment.

• The speaker insisted on punishing one slave in front of others so that they all felt psychologically terrorized by him.

Punishments on Plantations

In this section, the speaker talks about punishments on plantations.

Punishments on Plantations

• The speaker mentions that the code noir código Negro and the Barbados slave code treated slaves as movable goods chattels over which the master had full control.

• Punishments included 20 lashes, branding with the fleur de lys, hamstringing, being hung by the ribs, flogging to death.

• The speaker insisted on punishing one slave in front of others so that they all felt psychologically terrorized by him.

Work Days on Plantations

In this section, Juan talks about his long workdays on plantations.

Work Days on Plantations

• Every morning except Sunday, a bell rang at six o'clock for work.

• Most slaves started their day by bending down and pulling cane stock up and cutting it with two or three heavy slashes of a machete.

• Once the cane was cut, it had to be stripped of its leaves again with a machete.

• After working in fields all day long under the sun's heat, they would leave for other chores assigned to them.

Domestic Tasks Assigned to Slaves

In this section, Juan talks about domestic tasks assigned to slaves.

Domestic Tasks Assigned to Slaves

• Some slaves were assigned domestic tasks in the Master's house like washing horses or driving them into town.

• Sometimes when it was not harvest time, masters allowed slaves to buy their freedom but it was rare.

• Slaves brought valuable knowledge and skills such as mastery of various techniques in agriculture construction etc.

Nanny of the Maroons

This section describes the story of Nanny, a slave from the Ashanti Empire who was sold and shipped to the British West Indies. She eventually escaped to the Blue Mountains where she organized a community that lived off their crops, animal husbandry, hunting and gathering. They raided plantations regularly and inflicted defeats on the English army.

Escape from Plantation

• Nanny escaped from plantation with other slaves when an overseer began to whip a pregnant woman.

• Her brother punched him which led other slaves to join them in running away.

• The group had to split up in order to confuse their pursuers.

Life in Blue Mountains

• The community found refuge in a vantage point in the mountains from which they could see their enemies advancing and forestall their attacks.

• Gradually became organized and well-structured.

• Lived off crops, animal husbandry, hunting and gathering.

Raids on Plantations

• The community raided planters regularly burning their crops and fields, stealing livestock, preying on slaves whenever possible.

• Inflicted so many defeats on the English army that England was obliged to sign a treaty recognizing their freedom and independence of their lands.

Legacy of Slavery

This section discusses how multicultural societies emerged through intermingling of descendants of Americans Africans Europeans and Asians. It also highlights how slavery left behind racism as its tenacious poison that plagues our societies today.

Emergence of Multicultural Societies

• Men women and their descendants managed to transcend unprecedented oppression leaving humanity as a whole heritage of immense wealth in arts knowledge thought politics spirituality ethics.

• Story is reflected through music such as blues salsa samba Mayola hip hop reggaeton Brazilian Candomble religious syncretism orishas the gana was, capoeira and tango.

Racism

• Slavery left behind a tenacious poison that plagues our societies today: racism.

• The slave trade and slavery are now acknowledged as crimes against humanity in international law since 2001.

• New forms of slavery, racism and racial discrimination still exist today. Action to combat these issues is taken every day in major international organizations such as UNESCO and even in the schoolyard.

Triumph of Slaves

This section describes how slaves triumphed after being long oppressed. They responded to dehumanization and violence with resistance through physical resistance, countless uprisings, daily resistance by a thousand tricks to undermine the slave system, cultural resistance through dance music religion language.

Resistance

• Haiti was the first Republic to apply the universality of human rights.

• Countless uprisings occurred throughout history.

• Daily resistance by a thousand tricks undermined the slave system.

• Cultural resistance through dance music religion language showed that inhumanity and barbarism were not hallmarks of those enslaved but their oppressors.

Legacy

• The story of these men and women is the story of emergence of multicultural societies shaped by intermingling descendants of Americans Africans Europeans Asians.

• Slavery left behind a tenacious poison that plagues our societies today: racism.