StellaFelice

AfricanImmigration

Duringthe1600sthePortuguesesaileddownWestAfricalookingforspices,food,or
goldtotrade.Insteadtheyfoundpeople.1TheybroughthundredsofAfricansbackwiththemto
America,thenewcountry.Womenmenandchildrenwereforcedonashipforseveralmonths
untiltheymettheirdestination.Civilizationswerebeingdesignedandbuiltsotherewasalotof
worktobedoneandwhobettertodoitthantheAfricans?Africansdidthedirtyjobsandwere
workingasfreelaborers.Africanmenworkedasslavesalltheirlives,whilewomenworkedas
slavesandforcedsexslaves.Ifyoupurchasedaslavetheywereseenasyourpropertyfromthen
onandyoucoulddowhateveryouwantedwiththem.Oncetheywereenslavedandconsidered
yourproperty,theyworkedforfreeonyourplantationsfortherestoftheirlives.Becauseof
languagebarriersandthewaythedifferentcountrieswerebroughtup,theAfricanswereseenas
savages,andcompletelydehumanized.Withnodaysoff,smallinsubstantialmeals,andthe
sexualharassmentforcedonwomen,Africanswerefacingahardlife.Manyofthemwere
illiteratesotheycouldn'tgetaroundorcommunicate.Whitepeoplehadtheupperhand,weapons
andcouldcommunicate.WhichwasmuchmorethanthefewAfricanshadatthattime.They
wouldworkuntiltheydied.

"AgeofExplorationEnglishOnline."2010.3Nov.2015
<
http://www.englishonline.at/history/ageofexploration/explorersandnavigators.htm
>

Whenthefirstlicensetosellslaveswaspassed,Africanswereofficiallyknownas
lesserthanotherpeople.2Fromthenonslavetradewasaverycommonact.Whitepeople
startedrandomlyraidingAfricantribes,whicheventuallygotverydangerousforthewhitemen
becauseoftheunfamiliarenvironment.Theythenestablishedfortsandtradingstationsalong
WestAfrica3.WestAfricanmerchantscapturedandsoldAfricanstowhitepeople,whowere
thensoldasslavesagainsttheirwill.Theywereforcedtoleavetheirfamiliesorwatchthemdie
slowlyasslaves.

Allprisonershadnochoicebuttomigrateandworkasaslave.Familieswereseparated
andyoungchildrenweretakenawayfromtheirmothersandweremostlikelynevergoingtosee
themagain.ManyAfricansalsoweresentasslavesforcommittingcrimes.PrisonersinAfrica
weresoldandreleasedtopotentialslaveowners.

LifeontheAfricanSlaveshipwastorture.Hundredsandhundredsofslaveswere
compactedtothebottomoftheboatwithoutmuchfoodorwater.Therewasnowayoutbecause
youwereinthemiddleoftheocean.Manyslavesdevelopedillnesseswhichthenspreadtoother
Africansnothankstothelivingarrangement.Peopleweredyingleftandright.Thewhitemen
wouldtakethedeadAfricans,throwthemofftheshipandcarryonasifyouwereapieceof
trash.Ifyouwereonaslavetradeshipyouwereeitherdehydrated,starved,orsick.Africans
wouldtrytoendtheirlivesontheboatsotheydidn'thavetobeslaves.Bythispointinthe

"Slavevoyages:thetransatlantictradeinenslavedAfricans..."2005.3Nov.2015
<
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001286/128631eo.pdf
>
3
"Africa,Portugal|SouthAfricanHistoryOnline."2011.18Nov.2015
<
http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/africaportugal
>

journey,theAfricansweredehumanizedandhadallrights/freedomtakenfromthem.Fromthis
pointontheyhadonejobandthatwastoworkinthefieldsofSouthCarolinauntiltheydied.
AllslavesworkedforfreeandwerepropertyfortheWhitemen.

Africanslaveswereseenascheaplabor,anddidn'thaveasaywhethertheyworkedor
not.FourmillionAfricanslaveswereintheSouthworkingonfields.Whichwasveryhelpful
whenearlyagricultureandplantationsbegan.SlavesweretakendirectlyfromAfricatohelp
work.Therewascottontobepicked,tobaccotogrow,alongwithsugar,hempandrice.Slave
workonthefieldsbeganearlyinthemorningbeforedaylight.Slaveownerswouldcomearound
tomakesureworkwasbeingdone.Slaveownerscarriedwhipsandhornsforanyonewhowasn't
workingtotheirstandards.

Fifteenminuteswasawardedtothematnoon,foralunchBreakconsistingofthings
likecoldbacon.Ifslaveswerefreedtheywouldbecomeaninsufferableburdentosociety.4
Whitepeopledidn'tthinkAfricanshadtheabilitytoliveandsurviveontheirown,orhavetheir
ownthoughts.Sotheyalwaysreferredtothemasboysandgirls,anddidn'tgivethemtheoption
oflivingontheirown.

Whiteslaveownerssawslavesashappy,contentpeople,wholovedtowork,anddidn't
realizewhatslaverywasbecausetheyweretoochildlikeandsavagetounderstand.Whitepeople
didn'tseethebadinowningslaves,butslavesrefusedtobecompletelydehumanized.They

RonaldTakaki,
NoMorePeckOCorn,
(uauah),104

lookedforwaytogetaway,ordisobey.Foractingouttheywouldusuallygetpunished.Itwas
easytohaveaslavebecausetheywereonly3/5ofaperson.Theysupposedlydidn'tknowright
fromwrong,happyfromsadorwhatslaverywas.Theimageusedforslaveswascontenteasy
goingafricanswholovedtowork.Sothat'swhattheydid.

Men,womenandchildrensharedthesamesleepingspace,andallworkedtogether.The
workloadwasn'tanydifferentformenwomenorchildren.Allwereseenascheapeasylabor.If
theworkwasbeingdone,clearlyslaveownersweredoingsomethingright,andsawthemallas
equalslaves.

Slaverywasespeciallybadforwomen.Youngerslavesoftenfacedsexualassault,ontop
oftheforcedlaborallslaveshadtodo.Womenwerestrippedofrights,dehumanized,and
assaultedjustasbadasmenwere,ifnotworsethankstotheirvulnerability.FrederickDouglass
isafamousfreedslavewhowroteabiographyabouthismemoriesofbeingaslave.Hetalks
aboutwatchingandhearinghisAunt,beingstrippedofclothingandwhippedbecauseanother
manlookedather.5Hetalksabouthismothersmasterimpregnatingherthenbeingabused.
WhitemasterswifewouldusuallybeatAfricanwomenbecauseofjealously.Whenweknowhis
motherhadnocontroloverwhatwashappeningwithhermaster.Sheisdisposedandfindfault
withthemtheycanseldomdoanythingtopleasehersheisneverbetterpleasedthanwhenshe
seesthemunderthelash,especiallywhenshesuspectsherhusbandofshowingtohismulatto
childrenfavors,whichhewithholdsfromhisblackslaves.6

Aninnocent,helplessslavegetsall

5
6

FrederickDouglass
FrederickDouglass,
NarrativeoftheLifeofFrederickDouglass,
(hugNAN),3

thepunishment,dirtylooks,andharshabuseforjustbeingthere.Jealousywouldbetakenouton
thehelplessslave.

Cheaplaborisaneasywayforhigherworkingforcestomakemoney.Someonedoesthe
hardlabor,andyoumaketheeasymoney.Whenafricanswereenslavedthedawnofcheaplabor
began.Slavesweren'tseenasafullperson,theyhadnorightstospeak,theycouldn'tseetheir
family,orhaveadayofffromworking.MenwereforcingthemselvesonAfricanWomen,and
gettingawaywithit.ItwasalongtimeuntillawsweremadeagainsthowmuchyouCANwork
andhowyoucantreatthepeopleworkingforyou.
Cheaplaborstillhappenstothisday.MexicanImmigrantsareworkinginfields,for
unfairpayandlongworkdaysandweeks.Withoutbenefits,andverylittletimeoff,theyworkin
someofthehardestjobsemployable.Differentcoloredpeoplearegettingunfairpayandharder
jobs,whilewhiteauthoritystillhastheupperhand.Immigrantsaregiventhelowesthardestjobs
thereare,andareexpectedtoworkandnotcomplain.Beforeiftherewereprotestsyourfoodand
watersupplywouldbecutoff,whereastodayyouwouldsimplybefired.