In class we discussed enslaved life in Cuba and Brazil. The Digital Public History: Slave Voyages site allows a deeper understanding of both larger trends in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade as well as micro trends by looking at individual ships, people, and ports through which slave ships would leave from.
The map with the arrows depicting the number of people of African descent leaving Africa and entering other continents shows the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade as a global network. Europeans were the economic victors in this history. Within Cuba, Brazil, and other Latin American countries, there were different forms of control than in North America, specifically the United States. In Latin America, the use of violence and manumission were used to control and create a sense of false hope for many slaves. If a slave “behaved” they might be able to be set free in Latin America, thus placing blame for their conditions and punishments on slaves rather than masters.
During the 1835 revolt, many slaves were executed, though what we can learn from this are from the trial records. These records give slaves a voice to an otherwise voiceless subaltern. In some instances, we can also see cultural aspects of slaves. One person, had an Arabic prayer book, thus showing their religion before they were brought to South America.
Overall the life of a slave in Latin America was violent and short. Though some gained their freedom, many were not able to. The systems of slavery in Latin America were fairly different from those of the United States. More slaves entered Latin America because the death rate of people of African descent was higher and therefore demand required more people to be brought over whereas the United States established a system that required fewer slaves to be brought over due to the longer life expectancies and the higher birthrate over death rate.
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