Civi GB 1/

D a ys o f S la v e ry

Source: Abolition ! The Struggle to Abolish Slavery in the British Colonies, Richard S. Reddie.

C HAPTER 2; D O YOU REMEMBER THE D AYS OF SLAVERY ? ! TST: initiated by Christopher Colombus? Debate about that at the moment. ! He was the 1 st person to argue the case for slavery in the Americas ! Colombus made 4 voyages to the Americas. From his 3rd voyage, he sent 600 indigenous people (whom he had enslaved) to Spain to Queen Isabella, as a present. It was the beginning of the TST in reverse. ! Spanish domination in the Americas, enslavement of the indigenous people of the Caribbean Islands. 2 main peoples: the Caribs (not very nice to Spaniards) and the Arawaks, very peaceful population who fled from the Spanish invasion. ! A friar, Bartolomé de Las Casas, was very concerned about indigenous populations. As he saw their number decrease, he advised the Spanish crown to replace them with African slaves. Later seeing how they were mistreated, he regretted his decision. ! The first Africans Spain sent to the Americas were actually Spanish-Africans, who had been baptized and lived on the Spanish soil (they had previously bought them from the Portuguese markets for domestic use) because after wars with Muslims, they had decreed that only Christians could enter their soil. ! The TST was truly initiated in 1517 when the Spanish king first issued a contract (asiento) to supply Spain with a regular and annual nb of slaves. ! It was the seemingly inexhaustible nature of the supply of Africans that acted as one of the central reasons for African enslavement. ! Spain grew interested with big islands only, because it meant more profit, and England and France soon became aware of that. ! In the 1620s, England obtained a toehold in the West Indies. ! Unlike Spain, England chooses indentured labour rather than slaves. It also found other ways for populating the new colonies: sending convicts, prostitutes, petty criminals

! In the 17th c, the West Indies turned into a dumping ground for some of Europe’s most undesirable characters. ! Bristol: leading British slaving port. In the 17th c, it was already the center of the country’s indentured labor industry. ! The need for more workers resulted in various underhand means: kidnapping white people in ports in London and Bristol, enticing young people in brothels and inns, plying people with drink to embark them upon a ship to the Americas …

A FRICAN C HATTEL E NSLAVEMENT : ! .