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The Transatlantic Slave Trade Led to the Birth of Racism

European expansion to the New World and the birth of the global modern economy was enabled by African slavery and Native American genocide.
By Muhammad Aslam Shad • Jul 23, 2020
Slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, history of slavery, history of slave trade, Americas slavery, Christopher Columbus, European history, Europe slavery, world history, Muhammad Aslam Shad

Captives being escorted by slave traders in East Africa in 1859. © Everett Collection

The legacy of the transatlantic slave trade still lives on. It began in the 15th century and only ended in the 19th. Even today, the descendants of slaves deal with horrific racism. This led to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in the US. Nothing in human history compares with the slave trade’s magnitude, cruelty or sustained brutality.

Slavery was not a new institution in the 15th century. It was invented even before the Middle Ages. In ancient times, the losing side in war was often enslaved and made to pay for its misfortune with servitude. Slavery was common in the Roman world. In the 10th century, the Vikings captured men and women in their raids and then sold them off in the slave markets along the Volga River and the Caspian Sea.


Black Lives Matter Shines the Spotlight on the Shadow of Slavery

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Later, the Ottomans acquired European slaves, trained them in the art of war and made them a part of their standing armies. The Ottoman janissaries are a classic example. Some of the slaves rose to become kings and ruled as Mamluks in Egypt and India. In Africa, a large number of slaves were imported into Iraq from Zanzibar in the 9th century to clear the local swamps. These were called the Zanj, which derives from zanjir, a Farsi word that means an iron shackle or chain.

Yet it is important to remember that slavery in ancient and medieval societies was appreciably different from the type that Europeans introduced into Africa. In earlier societies, the slave was held in servitude for a limited time for specific reasons, and the color of the skin was not as big a factor as to whether a person did or did not become a slave. In most cases, the slave had some rights that the master had to respect. In ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, there were clearly defined codes of conduct governing the relationship between the slaves and their masters. The main point is simple: Slaves of the ancient world were treated with some humanity.

The distinguishing feature of the modern transatlantic slave trade is its total dehumanization of the slave. This continued for four centuries and paved the way for the colonization of Africa. Africans were considered no better than cattle or chattel who could be bought and sold in the market. Many Christian churches played a grim role in creating this narrative of a sub-human sub-Saharan Africa. Many European thinkers created an elaborate ideology of racial superiority in the 17th and 18th centuries. They forged the myth of a people with no history and culture.

What Kicked Off Modern Slavery?

Early in the 15th century, Europe began to recover from the wounds of the Middle Ages and the Crusades. European skill in ship-building had improved and the continent was searching for sources of food supply. Europe wanted to feed its hungry population, earn fortunes through trade and conquer new worlds. Unsurprisingly, Europeans began to venture beyond their shores. Before the 15th century, Europeans had not embarked upon worldwide exploration. Their ships were small, unsuitable and unsafe for long sea journeys. They were powered by oars and crude sails. Cartography was primitive and so were navigating instruments, making sailing on the wide-open ocean suicidal. Most Europeans also thought the world was flat and did not want to fall off the edge.

Slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, history of slavery, history of slave trade, Americas slavery, Christopher Columbus, European history, Europe slavery, world history, Muhammad Aslam Shad
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CategoriesAmerican News, Culture, Europe, In-Depth, Latin America & the Caribbean, North America, US news, World News TagsAmericas slavery, Christopher Columbus, Europe slavery, European history, history of slave trade, history of slavery, Muhammad Aslam Shad, Slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, world history
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