Slave Trade Documents by John Barbot 1732
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What comes up first on your mind if you see the word "Africa"? Most of people probably come up a notion related to uncivilization. I was willing to know how many people think so-called negative notion about Africa. The country of wildness, Ebola virus were basic answers for that question.
No one put a spin on thinking of Africa. And it is still true for some regions of African continent, unknown slaves exist. On that sense, Africa is not 100% shared to the world. When I saw the video called The Unknown Story of Africa, some regions of Africa seemed similar to normal countries over the world. It is still true that some regions of Africa are undeveloped (or uncivilized).
John Barbot who is an agent for the French Royal African Company created this document based on his voyages to the West Coast of Africa in 1678 and 1682. This document was published in 1732, London. He basically wrote what he experienced through his voyages to Africa. He probably tended to share how reality was inhuman by slave trades. Most of his sentences are not seperated properly. By this descriptive style, the contents are emphasized with many commas. Though his writing style could sound wordy. Even though he didn't specify the ones who receive the document that he wrote, he left this document for showing how severe a reality was vividly. For example, he stated that the trade of slaves is in a more peculiar manner the business of kings, rich men, and prime merchants, exclusive of the inferior sort of Blacks. It completely implied tjat the trade of slaves is inhuman than the appellation. He stated vividly being one of people who bought slaves. He mentioned that he had his own slaves. When he first arrive to Goerre, he could have bought a great number if he could have found provisions to subsist them. It indirectly shows that he had slaves who sold themselves in times of dearth and famine. I could read that he is kind of dogmatic person through his description which was that he had been necessitated to cause the teeth of slaves wretches to be broken for not opening their mouse. He also stated that he is naturally compassionate. How sarcastic! Even if he created this document in his style, I do think that there would be no existing documents showing that slaves were not given any rights being slaves internally, externally, and even sexually. In the end of 17th century in Africa, the Portuguese took benefit from slave trade. And they began to lose control of the trade network which bought and sold the slaves. Aside from the Dutch, British and French appearing on the scene in the 17th century, a host of other communities and groups tapped into the trade network, both on the east and west of the continent. Increasingly, these traders acted independently of both the Portuguese crown and traders based in Lisbon. The author described this period as the times of dearth and famine. It shows that the slaves were to be slaves by circumstances. Abundance of slaves sold themselves for maintenance, to prevent starving in his words. It had shown acutely how the reality was. He saw the slave trade in different angels through his experience. Morally, to buy slaves go against what is right. The author actually got slaves. I consider that he couldn't state on aspect of being an African during that period for that he bought slaves.
By reading this Primary Source, I could infer that African slaves did not get rights of human than I thought. If the author saw in more various angels about the Slave Trade, I highly think that what was it meant to be an african during that period.
What comes up first on your mind if you see the word "Africa"? Most of people probably come up a notion related to uncivilization. I was willing to know how many people think so-called negative notion about Africa. The country of wildness, Ebola virus were basic answers for that question.
No one put a spin on thinking of Africa. And it is still true for some regions of African continent, unknown slaves exist. On that sense, Africa is not 100% shared to the world. When I saw the video called The Unknown Story of Africa, some regions of Africa seemed similar to normal countries over the world. It is still true that some regions of Africa are undeveloped (or uncivilized).
John Barbot who is an agent for the French Royal African Company created this document based on his voyages to the West Coast of Africa in 1678 and 1682. This document was published in 1732, London. He basically wrote what he experienced through his voyages to Africa. He probably tended to share how reality was inhuman by slave trades. Most of his sentences are not seperated properly. By this descriptive style, the contents are emphasized with many commas. Though his writing style could sound wordy. Even though he didn't specify the ones who receive the document that he wrote, he left this document for showing how severe a reality was vividly. For example, he stated that the trade of slaves is in a more peculiar manner the business of kings, rich men, and prime merchants, exclusive of the inferior sort of Blacks. It completely implied tjat the trade of slaves is inhuman than the appellation. He stated vividly being one of people who bought slaves. He mentioned that he had his own slaves. When he first arrive to Goerre, he could have bought a great number if he could have found provisions to subsist them. It indirectly shows that he had slaves who sold themselves in times of dearth and famine. I could read that he is kind of dogmatic person through his description which was that he had been necessitated to cause the teeth of slaves wretches to be broken for not opening their mouse. He also stated that he is naturally compassionate. How sarcastic! Even if he created this document in his style, I do think that there would be no existing documents showing that slaves were not given any rights being slaves internally, externally, and even sexually. In the end of 17th century in Africa, the Portuguese took benefit from slave trade. And they began to lose control of the trade network which bought and sold the slaves. Aside from the Dutch, British and French appearing on the scene in the 17th century, a host of other communities and groups tapped into the trade network, both on the east and west of the continent. Increasingly, these traders acted independently of both the Portuguese crown and traders based in Lisbon. The author described this period as the times of dearth and famine. It shows that the slaves were to be slaves by circumstances. Abundance of slaves sold themselves for maintenance, to prevent starving in his words. It had shown acutely how the reality was. He saw the slave trade in different angels through his experience. Morally, to buy slaves go against what is right. The author actually got slaves. I consider that he couldn't state on aspect of being an African during that period for that he bought slaves.
By reading this Primary Source, I could infer that African slaves did not get rights of human than I thought. If the author saw in more various angels about the Slave Trade, I highly think that what was it meant to be an african during that period.
What was it meant to be an African?
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