Short Essay #1
Part 1 of John Thornton’s “Africa and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World, 1400-1800” discusses slavery in Africa prior to the period of Slave Trade and how the landscape of African power and polity independently shaped the Atlantic Slave trade, freestanding from the popular belief of European military or economic influence as the main catalyst for the economy of slaves. In Part 2 Thornton examines the cultural life of Afro-American slaves in the new world as well as the culture of the Creole people and considers what factors led to their cultural progression and how their culture affected the world in which they lived.
Differentiating cultural norms from Europe caused for a high level of prestige and wealth to be derived from slave ownership in Africa prior to the trading of people. “Slavery was widespread in Africa…The Atlantic slave trade was an outgrowth of this internal slavery.” (Thronton, 74) African nobility and fortune, unlike the traditional Western world, was not measured in land ownership, but rather in the ownership of people, as exemplified in taxes being placed on number of heads to a person as opposed to acreage. The opposition of property ownership also caused for many culturally different regions of small size to be created, which inhibited continued warring and raids, increasing the overall number of African slaves. But unlike the horror stories of American slavery, African slaves could live a much more comfortable life with more freedoms. “African slaves were treaded no differently from peasant cultivators…” (Thornton, 87) and “…slaves were often employed as administrators, soldiers and even royal advisors, thus enjoying great freedom of movement and elite life-styles.” (Thornton, 88) Slavery was not a European phenomenon seen in Europe, but a worldwide practice whose existence in Africa allowed for Africans to trade slaves at their own accord.
Despite heterogeneity in language and nation slaves were generally familiar with the culture and language of their counterparts from differing regions, and “…we can divide the parts of Atlantic Africa that participated in slave trade into three culturally distinct zones…” (Thornton, 186) despite Atlantic Africa being comprised of numerous, and often conflicting, states. River trade amongst many of the different peoples of Africa allowed for contact and relations with those of other linguistic nations and this allowed for familiarity in the new world as well as homogenized, to a point, the differences from region to region under the umbrella of larger shared principles. Despite attempts by many overseers to deculturate their slaves by buying those of different nationality African culture and tradition survived in the new world.
Conditions of slavery in the Americas differed than in Africa in the fact that slaves were forced into dangerous working conditions such as the sugar plantations in the Caribbean and were housed largely in communal barracks, with poor clothing and inadequate food but the high mortality rate and generally low population of females on plantations resulted in increased importation of slavery, thus keeping the influx of first generation slaves great and preserving language and African culture amongst slaves. As well as a high influx of first generation slaves, African culture and tradition was preserved and practiced through religion. African religion, while recognizing leaders that can be likened to God and Jesus, strayed from orthodox Catholicism due to their nature of continued revelations. “…Africans received revelations continuously…” (Thornton, 246) as opposed to the Bible being the final revelation. Despite integrating Christianity into their belief, African religion was a vessel for continued African culture.
As well as traditional religious practices slaves were given one day each week to create their clothing and work their gardens, much like the African construct of slavery. “…slaves were also said to work one day per week on their own account.” (Thornton, 170) In having to make their own clothing slaves exhibited their culture through the design of their attire and kept their culture alive, although textiles from their homeland were not available this provided “…an opportunity to be self-sufficient and express themselves.” (Thornton, 170) Many varying practices from religion, art and clothing to establishment of national groups and ceremonial music and dancing allowed slaves to live through their traditional culture of Africa despite relocation and worsened conditions. One varied example is that of the North American slaves. Slaves reproduced at a normal rate in North America and the need for importation was shortly eliminated, creating a largely Creole population that took on a new culture more closely tied to European customs.
While enduring drastic changes African culture was preserved by and prominent in slave life in the Americas. Although most slaves in America were not afforded the quality of life that slaves in Africa were, and were oversaw by varying European influences, by the influx of first generation slaves as well as the upholding of tradition African culture was not lost in or due to the Atlantic passage. National and linguistic ties formed societies and intercommunity leadership among slaves, deeply rooted in their home cultures and traditions, that endured throughout centuries of persecution and hardship.
