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War against Slave Trade
Slave trade began in the mid- 17th century and it mostly involved trading ships which used to set
sail from Europe with merchandise to the west coast of Africa. These ships took as long as they
wanted on the African coasts as they were brought young men and women who were fit for work
and could survive the journey to various destinations. America and the Caribbean were the most
known for the need for slaves and the European traders were keen to deliver in exchange for
goods like sugar, alcohol and tobacco. The presence of slaves though in America was not all for
their advantage because later increased in numbers to an extent of almost dominating. Slave
trade in the booming economy of America as a resource that greatly influenced development at
low or no cost saw the country access free and cheap labor (Mcinnis). However, slave trade
caused more harm than good to the African- Americans who had become enslaved because it
lowered their dignity as human beings. They became mistreated and people took advantage of
them due to their defenselessness.
Slave trade had become a threat to America which was a developing country with an
objective of growing economically. Slave trade had invaded the lives of the Native Americans
who were blind to see what was at stake for their nation in the future. The tremendous growing
numbers of slave traders gave them the courage to form movements to fight for their rights and
advocate for the abolishment of slave trade. Further, other political activists emerged to fight for
equality and the eradication of slave trade which was far and beyond America. In as much as the
slaves offering cheap and free labor they knew that one day they would rise and give their
employers a surprise of their lives. According to (Gates Jr.), the slaves that got to America were
many and could be rated to 388,000 which is a small number compared to the masses that got
moved from the coast of Africa. With time, these numbers were expected to rise as soon as the
slaves started intermarrying and having children and this could have an impact on the native’s
population.
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Abolition of slave trade was the initial idea of the British government in the years 18221826 and it was due to pressures that could not get handled. The abolishment of slave trade was
bound to take place sooner or later and it could be mostly as a result of the predicted danger and
harm that the trade could cause America. Being a developing country, it could in future not
understand the essence of paying people wages and they could never value employment and
labor because they got used to having it for free. Therefore, this would affect their development
because they would become reluctant to hire labor hence they would lag behind. For this reason,
some felt the need to do away with slaves and pay people wages for work done regardless of how
minimal. The emerging of humanitarian groups like churches and researchers who went against
the slave trade pressurized the participating countries to reconsider their stand in the trade. They
judged slave trade on ethical grounds where people were being sold like any other items in the
market. With the rise of industrialization, the states that used slaves for cheap labor felt they
needed professional workers and they wanted the slaves to go back home to produce raw
materials for their industries. There was a French revolution as well that emerged and it was
advocating for freedom, equality and fraternity of all human beings therefore none was supposed
to be superior to the other.
Political involvement was inevitable in the issue regarding slave trade considering that
the effect could become felt all over and the government could not risk getting criticized by other
states or the citizens. With this determination, the governments of states that dealt with slave
trade took stiff measures towards dealers of slaves and those who had links with that kind of
business. Laws were as well enforced that would deal with those who got caught on the wrong
side of those laws. States that were for this idea worked closely together which made it easy to
end the practice. Presidents like Thomas Jefferson realized the threat that was facing the nation
and above all the kind of treatment that the slaves were subjected to at work. He felt that these
people had individual rights to do what they wanted with their lives and they therefore needed
the freedom to choose if they wanted to work and where they were comfortable working. Either
way, he was bothered by the presence of blacks in his country and his idea was to have them
taken back to their country (Finkelman). Initially, the congress did not have the power to end
slave trade but it could regulate it and later, it prevented the use of the American ports for the use
of bringing in slaves. Therefore, merchants of slaves became discouraged and could not risk
continuing with the business. There was a law as well that prevented ships from the United
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States ports from have dealings in overseas countries. Penalties became introduced which got
charged to those who got caught doing the business. Politics therefore played a vital role in
eradicating slave trade which could otherwise have continued without anyone noticing.
As time went by, slave trade became widespread and so did the need to form activist groups
to curb the menace. Not everyone appreciated the use of slaves in the farms and other working
areas because they felt they had a responsibility to stop it from spreading any further. Some
states though felt that the slaves were useful and were against the abolition of slave trade. Slave
trade had adverse effect on the Africans considering that they got taken from the homes and
countries against their will which was inhuman. Morals condemned such actions and on these
grounds people started joining efforts and formed movements that would advocate for rights of
the slaves. Quakers were among the first people to go against slave trade and they are the one
who created most of the activists groups in the United States (Tejvan). Some individual activists
who started anti-slavery movements include (Tejvan):
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Sojourner Truth who was an African- American abolitionist and she was a former slave
and therefore had an experience of what she was advocating for in her speeches
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William Lloyd Garrisson who was a renowned campaigner against slavery and he called
for immediate liberation of slaves and in a few instances, he had been sent to jail because
of his stand
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Abraham Lincoln who was the American president during that period and he declared the
freedom of all slaves and he outlawed slavery
Even though Thomas Jefferson hated the slaves for their being an invasion in America and
for their origin, he had a plan to bring an end slave trade which had become a burning issue. One
of the approaches he was going to use was steady and continuous abolishment of the trade in
separate locations to make sure that no one went back to the trade. The reason for this was
because each location was at their level and the difference therefore had to become handled in
stages.
The slave trade in America had become widespread and it required a lot of
determination, effort and consistency to make sure that it became eradicated from the root.
According to (Tejvan), Thomas Jefferson owned slaves in his home for his use and he did not
want to end slavery at once and therefore did it in stages to buy him time as well for finding
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other sources of labor. In the long though, he managed to make slavery declared a crime and a
law that became adhered to barring the trade of slaves was put in place.
The fact that the slaves had a different skin color made them to become discriminated by the
natives and racism therefore did not start the other day considering that it still has roots across
the world. For this particular reason, it was not going to be easy to abolish slavery because there
was a notion that black people were not worthy of any better treatment and they got what the
deserved. Thomas Jefferson though was determined to campaign against oppression of the
African-Americans who had become subjected to slavery based on their skin color. According to
(Socialworker), racism has always been there as people criticize and treat differently those who
differ from them in color and origin. Racism is a specific practice of oppression which the slaves
experienced and the fact that it is not the nature of human beings means that people can alter
their perspective of others (Socialworker). In the same way, the Native Americans could have
spared the slaves and treated them like fellow human beings by overlooking their skin color and
by so doing, eradicating slavery would have been an easy task.
Within the effort to end slavery of the African- Americans, Thomas Jefferson laid out rules
that would give them better treatment than what they were used to when they were slaves. Even
though the treatment would not measure up to that of the natives, it was far much better than the
oppression they experienced upon arrival in foreign land. Further, they would no longer become
perceived as slaves and humanity was at work at that point which worked in their favor. The
slaves were under the protection of the rules that became established by Thomas Jefferson and it
would be therefore correct to state that he had a heart for the African- Americans regardless of
what his reason was for that. According to (Dierksheide), Thomas Jefferson had a belief that
slavery would affect the progress of the developing America as a nation and for that reason he
was aggressive in fighting against slavery. He was willing to see to it that the liberated slaves got
better lives and even if they continued working, they got paid for their services. Either way, he
could have wished that these people were taken back to their countries so as to reduce the rising
population which was worrying. This man fought for the freedom of the slaves till his death and
his passion and determination was clear which could be worth taking over by those who came
after him.
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The abolition of slave trade took time and it was not possible to eliminate it within a short
time because of various challenges that became experienced. Some of the reasons why ending
slave trade long include;
Political influences
Politics influenced the process of abolishing slave trade because people in political positions had
different opinions regarding this issue. When politics became incorporated in that specific issue
that required urgent response, it became delayed because there was no similar ground. The
existence of different political backgrounds and interests meant that it would take time to
consolidate all the member’s opinion therefore delaying the process. The fact that each state in
country has their priorities means that there is a possibility that there are those who did not find
the abolishment of slave important. Therefore, they did not give the idea much thought which
made it to take long to become implemented.
Opposition by politicians
Some of the politicians felt that the slaves should be retained because they were playing a vital
role in the building of the cities and increasing their economy. The fact that the slaves offered
free labor meant that the government did not incur any expenses in the development of their
infrastructures. Further, these slaves were many and therefore chores became undertaken within
a short time. Additionally, there are those politicians who wanted others to look bad in
government or in the eyes of the public. By opposing the idea of abolishing slave trade, it means
that they had no interest in the welfare of the African-Americans who were being mistreated.
Being forced to do chores that one is not comfortable with is against human morals and people
who do not care about others feelings are inhuman. Politicians have an influence on the activities
that get run in the government and when they do not agree, it takes time to make reforms on
certain issues.
Development levels of different states
During the days of slave trade, states had different levels of development and for this
reason some felt the need to make use of the slaves continuously. The developed states did not
agree with the use of slaves because they did not have odd jobs to offer them. Further, these
developed states knew the value of paying wages and employment and they as well employed
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professionals who did reasonable jobs. They did not find a place where they could offer jobs to
these slaves because they had upgraded to the level of industrialization and it requires specialized
skills. The states that were yet to develop would not let the slaves go easily because they needed
them to catch up with their fellow states at no expense. With these kind of disputes between
states, it became hard to eliminate slave trade because of the disagreements considering that they
had to meet at some point. Those states that were not developed felt like the developed ones
advocated for abolishment of slave trade to make sure that the developing ones did not catch up
with them soon.
Slave trade played a vital role in the growth of the economy of America and it greatly
impacted its development at low or no cost because the country could have access to free and
cheap labor. Either way, slave trade became harmful to the African- Americans who had become
enslaved because it lowered their dignity as human beings. They became mistreated and people
took advantage of them due to their defenselessness. The fact that these slaves were far from
home and were in foreign land made them to obey all the orders that were given to them without
questioning. The Native Americans should have at least considered and appreciated the role the
slaves played in their country and treat them well. The presence of slaves in America later
became a threat because they had come in large numbers therefore increasing the population.
Once the slaves began intermarrying and bearing children, it like they belonged there and were
no longer slaves. With this kind of population growth, the slaves gathered courage to form
activist groups through which they would advocate for their rights and fight for equality. This
meant that sooner or later the Americans were going to lose ownership of the slaves once they
became liberated.
The end of slave trade was important because it gave America back its glory which was
almost lost because of the inhuman actions of mistreating people by having them as slaves.
Being associated with the practice of slave trade could have tainted the image of the United
States and therefore it was important to do away with it entirely. Further, the slaves got back
their freedom which they had lost for long in foreign land and they became protected by the laws
that became established. Additionally, the United States realized the value of labor that gets
offered and were therefore ready to hire and pay for it rather than get it for free as they were
used.
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The end of slave trade was advantageous because it paved way for professional
employment and industrialization was taken seriously by the developing countries. On the other
hand, the issue of racism became addressed in that the slaves were being treated based on their
skin color. Racism became a public issue which had been hidden and no one had paid attention
to its existence. This was to the advantage of the African-American who felt out of place because
of the kind of treatment they got from the natives. With the end of slave trade, the slaves got the
liberty to seek jobs with wages and jobs of their choice that were not forced.
Works Cited
Dierksheide, Christa. Thomas Jefferson and Slavery. 2008. Document. 20 April 2017.
Finkelman, Paul. The Abolition of the Slave Trade. 8 June 2007. Document. 20 April 2017.
Gates Jr., Henry Louis. How Many Slaves Landed in the US? 1 June 2014. Document. 20 April
2017.
Mcinnis, Maurie. How the Slave Trade Built America. 3 April 2015. Document. 20 April 2017.
Socialworker. The Roots of Racism. 21 October 2010. Document. 20 April 2017.
Tejvan, Pettinger. People in the Anti-slavery Movement. 1 December 2013. Document. 20 April
2017.
Research Paper Planning Assignment
Write the outline of your research paper below. The outline should begin with the title of your paper and your
thesis statement. You should complete this assignment and submit it to your teacher when you finish the Develop
an Outline lesson in this unit.
1. Write a title for your paper that clearly states the topic.
Answer:
The War against Slave Trade in America
2. Write your thesis statement. Your thesis should state a fact about history and state your idea about the fact.
Answer:
Slave trade in the booming economy of America emerged as a resource that greatly influenced
development at low or no costs, with the rise of slave trade, the country had access to free and cheap
labor. However, slave trade caused more harm than good to the African-Americans who were slaves as
beyond lowering their dignity, it placed them in a place of ultimate misuse by the society and anybody
who was at will.
3. Develop a formal outline for your paper. Use the Making Formal Outlines sheet as a guide for structuring your
content. Your outline should demonstrate that you have completed adequate research and have a grasp of
the content. Your ideas should be clearly organized in a logical manner.
Answer:
I.
Introduction
A. Hook: The Slave Trade, a low labor resource that resulted in a disadvantage and a mistreated for
African-Americans
B. Thesis: Slave trade in the booming economy of America emerged as a resource that greatly
influenced development at low or no costs, with the rise of slave trade, the country had access to free
and cheap labor. However, slave trade caused more harm than good to the African-Americans who
were slaves as beyond lowering their dignity it placed them in a place of ultimate misuse by the
society and anybody who was at will.
II.
Background and process against the slave trade
Slave trade was a threat to America a rising nation, with the view of its economic benefit, slave trade was
slowly encroaching into the lives of many Americans who did not see future for the nation. With such
rates, different political activists emerged to be the frontiers in the fight for equality and the abolishment
of slave trade not only in America but also in the whole world.
A. Factors leading to abolishment of slave trade
Abolishment of slave trade was as a result in the foreseen danger and harm that the trade could cause
to the United States of America, with slave trade, the nation could not in a position to understand
wages, labor and employment, factors which are very important to any developing nation.
1. Effects of political power intervention on slave trade
Presidents like Thomas Jefferson saw save trade as a threat to survival of the nation and also
as oppression to people who rightfully had a right to their personal liberties.
2. Effects of social influence on slave trade
With changing times, slave trade continuously spread and as ore activist nations sprout up,
there was more and more outcry to stop the activities of slave trade in the world. Although
some nations saw slave trade as beneficial to them, most nations started visualizing the ills
that were associated with the slave trade.
B. Advocacy of the end of slave trade
Thomas Jefferson had a laid out plan to end the slave trade in America and one of the techniques
he used was gradual and constant abolishment of slave trade in distinct areas. He believed that by
slowly eradicating slavery acts in different states, he could by the end of his term have abolished
slave trade that was present in the United States.
1. War on racism
Slave trade was based on the practices of racism in America and if slave trade was to come to
an end, racism had to forerun a campaign that could bring slave trade to its knees. The first
campaign that Jefferson undertook was the campaign against oppression of AfricanAmericans by the view or judgment of their color.
2. Rules and regulations
Jefferson instituted rules that began giving African-Americans better treatment than what
they previously received and even though it was not as perfect as the treatment for
Americans, it assisted to stop the stigmatization of most African-Americans who were only
seen as slaves.
III.
Reasons for delayed end of slave trade
A. Political influences
B. Opposition by politicians.
C. Development levels of different states.
IV.
Conclusion
A. Evaluation based in the thesis statement
B. Reasons why slave trade end was important.
C. Advantages of the slave trade end.
V.
Bibliography
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