Countries trade with each other when they are in need of resources, or to fulfill their needs. By utilizing their own possessions, countries can gain a surfeit of the products they need. One example of commerce is the Atlantic Slave Trade, involving shipment of enslaved African people by slave traders, predominantly to America. The Americas presented many chances to earn money, however, many of these resources had to be mined and picked on plantations. The growth of plantations on the American mainland resulted in enslaved Africans to be traded to America, in order to complete the labor to attain these resources.
The Atlantic Slave Trade presented both positive and negative impacts. It especially negatively impacted the African slaves, being the primary thing traded during the Slave Trade. “The closeness of the place and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us. This produced copious perspirations, so that the air soon became unfit for respiration from a variety of loathsome smells, and brought on a sickness among the slaves, of which many died, thus falling victims to the improvident avarice, as I may call it, of their purchasers” (Document 2).
This expresses the cruel conditions on a ship coming to America. These circumstances included spread of sickness, suffocation, and being tied together with chains. The death toll was startlingly high because of these conditions. It could be described as a whole scene of horror, having to experience the shrieks and groans of the slaves in agony. This hardship could also be added to the painful labor the slaves had to execute once they reached their destination.
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While the Atlantic Slave Trade posed a negative impact on slaves, it was revered as positive for the Europeans. Many essential European resources would have to be extracted from the ground in order to be acquired. However, Spanish and Native miners were unavailable, or unable to complete the work. Without resources, the overall profit and income of Europe would decrease.
“From New Spain are obtained gold, silver and other things. One fifth of all profits go to the king. Great quantities of gold and silver used to be out in the open; with all of it gone, now gold and silver have to be mined. The work is hard and the Spaniards are not willing to do the work, Natives who have become Christians are not allowed to be forced to do the work because the Emperor freed them”.
Due to the Europeans having nobody to do their work, they reached out to enslaved Africans to mine resources for them. They also had complete control over the slaves, using them as however they wished. As a result, Europe would be able to earn money, wealth, and resources, ultimately benefiting them. While the Atlantic Slave Trade was highly advantageous towards the Europeans, it can also be described as one of the most brutal/cruel periods in history.
