Imperialism in North America Prejudice Slavery in the Colonies Assignment

The Purpose of Colonies To help the home country get rich by providing resources

Prejudice linked to Imperialism If European colonists believed themselves to be superior to other people, then they could do what they wanted with land and other people without remorse Individual colonists rarely recognized their own prejudices

New World View Colonists tended to view the “New World” as uninhabited land Created a conflict of culture Did not understand or acknowledge First Nations claim on land or lifestyle Wanted First Nations to accept European way of life Claimed and settled “wild” land in the name of the empire First Nations became a target to get out of the way

Beginning of Slavery in the Americas Spain and Portugal were the first 2 countries to engage in slavery in the Americas Spain had the largest empire at the beginning of the 18th Century They were the first to establish trade and claim territories overseas

The First Victims of Imperialism in the Americas The Indigenous communities of South and North America were the first people to be enslaved in the Americas Slave labour, murder, and disease brought by Europeans led to a drastic reduction in the indigenous population

The Trafficking of African People by the Major European Countries.

Atlantic Triangle Slave Trade Slaves were kidnapped and purchased by Europeans and Africans and sent on slaves ships across the Atlantic to North American colonies The enslaved people were forced to work harvesting raw materials such as cotton and tobacco to be sent to Europe where these raw materials would be used to create manufactured products. These manufactured products were then sent to Africa and used to acquire new slaves

Acquiring Slaves for Sale Slave traders kidnapped African men, women, and children from all over Africa to sell them to European slave ships on route to North America In chains 15 to 30% died during the march to or confinement along the coast

Putting a Price on Humanity African slave traders received weapons such as guns and ammunition, large cargo of mixed manufactured goods Cotton brass pans tobacco Slaves were inspected like cattle and put up for auction or private sale

Generations Lost Nobody knows the exact total number of people who died during slave raiding and wars in Africa, during transportation and imprisonment, or in horrendous conditions during the so-called Middle Passage, the voyage from Africa to the Americas. At least 2 million Africans (10 to 15 %)died during the infamous "Middle Passage" across the Atlantic.

How Can One Person Own Another? According to English law, Slaves were not people, they were property African slaves were treated like a car or farm animal They were not valued as human being, for they were counted as assets to be bold and sold when desired

Consequences of This Designation Unlike a person, property cannot and will not be granted any rights under law. This means that African slaves had no legal right to challenge the human rights abuses being forced upon them They were powerless Labeled property so that owners can ignore their humanity and deny their freedom

The Horrors of a Slave Ship They were taken on board, stripped naked and examined from head to toe by the captain or surgeon. The men were packed together below deck and were secured by leg irons. The space was so cramped they were forced to crouch or lie down. Women and children were kept in separate quarters, sometimes on deck, but this also exposed them to violence and sexual abuse from the crew.

The lack of sanitation and suffocating conditions meant there was a constant threat of disease. Captives endured these conditions for about two months, sometimes longer. forced to exercise in good weather those refusing to eat were force-fed. thrown overboard if resisted authority or dead

Nov 2014 Underwater memorial off the coast of Grenada in the West Indies to all the slaves drowned during the Middle Passage

Banning the Trade On 25 March 1807, the British Empire banned the importation of slaves into the British Empire On January 1, 1808, President Thomas Jefferson banned the importation of slaves into the United States Neither act abolished slavery itself.