The Impacts Of The African Slave Trade History Essay

The Impacts Of The African Slave Trade History Essay Slavery was carried out in various parts of the world and mainly in some parts of Africa, Asia, Europe and America. Slave trade was at the highest during the period at which Americans were under the colonial powers of the European states. Europeans carried out their slave trade extensively in African nations. It is said that low economic level in African nations made it easy for Europeans to take control over Africans. The major slave trade regime against Africans by Europeans was known as Atlantic slave trade. It was not the only trade though it is believed to have been the most extensive both in volume and intensity wise. The Africans who were victims of slave trade to the Europeans are said to have been hostages of endemic warfare that was between different states of Africa. Their traders gained weapons and other basic necessities from Europeans in return. Contrary, Africans carried out the trade against themselves. There existed many divisions between African regions. Some of the divisions were ethnic, driven by culture and beliefs, religion, political, economic level, and boundary conflicts. Those divisions brought about conflicts and wars. Those who went into war captured their enemies who were source of wealth to them on trading with Europeans. The trade was barter trade whereby Europeans went off with slaves in exchange of goods such as manufactured cloth, alcohol, weapons among others. Interestingly, the slavery trade had become the major international trade to Africans. The trade had grown extensively into communities and family levels. Kingdom rulers of the community did not discourage the trade rather they encouraged by selling out those who were their enemies or the most hardworking personas of the kingdom. At the family level, family members would sell out their counterparts mostly when there were family disputes among different families or family members. All these made it easier for the Europeans to acquire slaves from traders who were willing to sell out themselves (Williams 1994,p.12). The main reason was the shortage of labor in the continent whereby demand for laborers had exceeded the capability of the population supply. Slaves who landed into Europe at early period of slavery were the Aboriginal peoples. At first they were a few but they suffered from diseases and cruelty from racist Europeans. Immense numbers of them were hired for mining, and in the plantations which were labor-intensive in growing, harvesting and processing of products such as sugar, cotton and other low-prized tropical crops. Affordability of low cost of labor helped in the economic growth of European states at the period. The first European state to carry out slave trade was Portugal. Portuguese were in dire need of laborers for mining and sugar plantation activities in Brazil which was their colony at the period. Later European states completion towards the slavery began when Brazil was seized by Dutch which eventually became to be the leading slave trading power in seventeenth century. They sold slaves to their colonies, to British and also to the Spanish. In late 17th century, Britain rose to be the leading trading power after gaining the control over the Americans. The other reason was large size of the market for European products. The triangular Atlantic slave trade is believed to have been the most convenient and profitable trade route. This is because Ships leaving Europe were only required to carry trade goods on their way to Africa. On arrival to Africa exchange of the goods for slaves took place. To Europeans the trade was always to their favor since cheap goods were of more value to poor African states who complied effectively in the trade. However, Europeans got to a point of carrying out supplying role of slaves to the world. Some of slaves acquired from Africa were transported to the American states for trade. In America, they traded slaves for the agricultural products, which were in many cases produced through slave labor. Due to low cost of labor, agricultural products were acquired at a low prize. To the Europeans trade route was an important business since it required that a ship make a leg of the voyage for a substantial profit waiting at the destination. This enhanced the international relationships between European nations and their trade counterparts. In addition, ships used less energy on their ways since trade routes were designed in a specific manner. This is because trades men followed the routes which they would take full advantage of the widespread winds and currents which propelled their ships. For instance, the journey from a place like West Indies or any other place in the southern United States to any other place in Europe would be propelled by the waves of Gulf Stream. This made it cheaper for Europeans to acquire slaves from other nations (Klein 1999,p.23). However, in industries, which were most profitable, slavery was the main source of labor of the time. Majority of the slaves were hired in the sugar production sector. Sugar plantations were the most labor intensive activity in the time. In additionally, the other slaves were hired in other labor intensive activities such as in coffee, cotton, and tobacco harvesting, and also in the mining. Slaves were basic possessions to European states and they always protected them so as to retain them in their land. For instance, in 1763, France had agreed to give out vast colony of New France in exchange for permit to keeping Antillian island of Guadeloupe. As the time went by, opposition against slave trade developed in Europe. The move was fore headed by religious movements such as Religious Society of Friends and also established clergies of the Evangelical ministries such as the William Wilberforce. Later individuals joined the movements and from which they protested against the slave trade to their state powers. However, owners of colonial holdings opposed the move (Rodney 1981,p.14). Success of the moves was marked by abolition of slave trade in Denmark through the legislation in 1792 and took its effect later in 1803. Britain followed the compliance by imposing ban to the trade in early 1807. Britain kingdom had to impose rigid fines for any one who allowed slaves to aboard a Britain destined ship. Additionally, the British Royal Navy, which in control of all worldsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ sea, stopped other nations from participating in the slave trade through the declaration that equalized slaving to the piracy and culprits were to be punished by death penalty. To the Europeans, end of the slave trade, had insignificant obstacles which it is a must that they had to be overcome. Slave trade was an important part to the economy of the regional states. In 18th century, slaves were the main supply of labor that was required in the production activities of the agricultural products. However, end of slavery resulted into high cost of production and eventually the rise of prices of the same products in the market (Anstey 1975,p.34). However, some scholars studied the slavery ban movement slightly before the Second World War and concluded that it was in most probably recorded among the three or four important historical pages in the history of the European nations. This is mainly because slavery had an important impact to the growth of the economy and thus it was difficult for European nations to do away with it. Contrary, in his studies, Eric Williams, a West Indian historian, argued that it was as a consequence of the economic transitions, of European nations, which was unrelated to any morality factor. However, he based his squabble upon the idea that the colonies of West Indian were declining in the early 19th century. This is because they had lost political and economic importance to Europeans. Consequently, this decline made slavery to be an economic weigh down that made the British to have a will of doing away with it (Williams 1994,p.34). However, Williamà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s study is questioned. This is because decline in West Indian colonies manifested after 1807 when slave trade was banned. Moreover, slavery was economically flourishing at a fast pace before the ban. However, most likely the decline may have resulted from the effects of suppression which colonies felt from slave trade. In addition, the lowering of prices for the products which were produced through slave labor could be taken as evidence which exhibits that lowering in the price of a product leads to increase in the demand and eventually increasing the total profits. In addition, it is said that profits which were earned as a result of the slave trade lasted at low levels. Results say it was always about ten percent of the total investment and indicated no verification of the decline. More importantly, the prices of lands in West Indies, as an essential tool in analyzing economic growth of the region also did not decline until after discontinuation of the slave trade. Also, the economies of colonies which heavily relied on agricultural products did not decline. In fact are said to have been at the peak in 1807. However, there was a reason for Williams to be biased. This is because he was actively drawn into the movements which advocated for the independence of the colonies of Caribbean. With that notion he had a drive to try to snuff out any idea of such an unsparing action by colonialists to their colonies. However, some scholars have acknowledged Williams arguments in their works though they agree to the fact that the issue of morality was combined together with politics and economic forces so as to end slavery in Europe. However, religion is believed to have had the strongest movement that campaigned against slavery and actually into convincing Westminster into outlawing the trade. More also, Evangelical protestants together with Quakers formed a group which viewed slavery as an act of inhumane. These individuals formed the minority persons in the population, but more interestingly they were passionate and the group had many members who were enthusiastic individuals (Emmer 2000,p.45). In the parliament, large number of members presented these groups. Their parliament presence is said to have been so strong in that at their height they had control of about thirty five to forty seats. Normally precarious government positions acted as to magnify their numbers and also their service to the citizens. The members of the group were known as saints and William Wilberforce was their leader. Most importantly they were campaigners of the anti-slave in the European nations. Parliamentarians who belonged to the group were tremendously enthusiastic and frequently saw their delicate battle in opposition to slavery as a delightfully predestined crusade. However, after the ending of slavery in Britain, British felt obliged by economic pressure to force down other European nations into inserting themselves into a common economic straitjacket, or else the colonies of Britain would have became uncompetitive with those who were belonged to other nations. Ironically, British effort to campaign against slavery was an unparalleled foreign policy effort to combine economic powers (Drescher 1999,p.98). However, the Britainà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s campaign did not full succeed. This is because some European nations strongly objected the move into surrendering rights to the trade. These nations included Spain, and France. However, Britain did not back down but instead used every tool to trying to persuade these nations so that they may follow its lead. Interestingly, Spain agreed but through a payment of a ransom. Spain received over one million pounds in order for it to end the slave trade. For the France, it was difficult at outset. At first, Britain tried to inflict its idea of solution during the negotiation meeting at the near end of Napoleonic Wars. More devastating to the British is the reluctant of Russia and Austria who vowed not to end the trade. The people and government of France had profound uncertainties about compromising to the demands of Britain. This is because they did not only that other nations end the trade, but also their right to keep watch over the ban. However, Royal Navy was permitted to carry out searches in any apprehensive ships in the waters and confiscate any carrying slaves, or in operation to doing so. It is these stiff demands that kept France into the trade for a long time. More surprisingly, in 1815, France gave in to the ban but they never allowed Britain to police to interfere with their activities neither did they watch over themselves. That made it easier for the illegal trade to continue for a long time. French citizens had initially been indifferent to the trade. With that fact, their national pride could not allow Britain to dictate over their policies. Contrary, conservative backlash vied that reformist movement as tainted by the after the revolution. However, in France, a complete halt of slave trade was realized in 1848 (Drescher 1999,p.78). In conclusion, slave trade was of more benefits to the European nations. Europeans low population at the period called for more man power in the activities which were meant to be drivers of the economic growth. Thus, Africa became their target as a source of man power. However, there came a period when European nations came to Africa for slaves and in turn selling them out to other nations in the world thus strengthening interrelationships between different nations. The ending of slavery did not ogre well to the economic growth since affected nations suffered an economic down turn.

What Is Morality :: essays research papers

Definition essay: What is Morality? I'll tell you that morality is probably one of the biggest, most confusing things to look at when you need to write a paper about it. After some deliberation, I have concluded a few things about morality and what it is. Morality is one of those words that you don't hear very often, and use even less frequently. It is perfectly described by Webster's Dictionary as a set of guidelines that govern a person's actions. Without such a code, anarchy would rule supreme. Human beings are human because we can limit ourselves and our behaviour. Moral values are a byproduct of a society that must live together. Even though in Mother Nature the only restricting factor is that of reproduction and supply of food, because our society groups together, (otherwise it probably wouldn't be a society), it needs codes of conduct. We have established government, religion and moral character to regulate this population. All are fairly organized, with moral character being left entirely to the self, while with government or religion often times another person will tell you what to do. Without self-limitation, the Jones's across the street would be hell to live with. They would be insulting, perverse, lying and cheating neighbors. Morality, the set of rules that limit excessiveness in our behavior, is the foundation of all government, religion. It moderates our beliefs and laws; describes how one should act. Moral rules, if you will, include several basic so called 'golden' rules: thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not commit adultery; etc. When people start losing some or all of these moral rules, society falls apart. It has been proven, for example, by the Roman Empire. Close to the end of Rome's "glorious" rule, they ruled most of the known world. Also, people would have sex with any living thing that had a suitable opening. Human life was taken for granted: people committed suicide for stupid reasons; depression, shame, angst, my brother died. To our fairly Judeo-Christian moral standards today, this is despicable, horrifying.

Free software Essay

The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0). The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this. The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2). The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this You are free to (1)study it, (2)redistribute it, and (3) modify it. 2. Why is Linux popular? Why is it popular in academia? Bell Labs offered it to educational institutions at nominal cost. The schools, in turn, used it in their computer science programs, ensuring that computer science students became familiar with it. Because UNIX was such an advanced development system, the students became acclimated to a sophisticated programming environment. As these students graduated and went into industry, they expected to work in a similarly advanced environment. As more of them worked their way up the ladder in the commercial world, the UNIX operating system found its way into industry The source code for the operating system is readily available so that students can understand more easily how GNU/Linux works and can modify the code further to understand its operation and change the way it works. 3. What are multiuser systems? Why are they successful? Sharing the computer’s power among many users and giving them the ability to share data and programs are central features of the system. a multiuser operating system allows many people to use all of the system resources almost simultaneously The use of costly resources can be maximized and the cost per user can be minimized—the primary objectives of a multiuser operating system. 4. What is the Free Software Foundation/GNU? What is Linux? Which parts of the Linux operating system did each provide? Who else has helped build and refine this operating system? The Free Software Foundation (www. fsf. org) is the principal organizational sponsor of the GNU Project. GNU developed many of the tools, including the C compiler, that are part of the GNU/Linux Operating System Linux is the name of an operating system kernel developed by Linus Torvalds and expanded and improved by thousands of people on the Internet. Torvalds’s kernel and GNU’s tools work together as the GNU/Linux Operating System 5. In which language is Linux written? What does the language have to do with the success of Linux? 95% is written in C. Because Linux is portable, it can be adapted (ported) to different machines and can meet special requirements. For example, Linux is used in embedded computers, such as the ones found in cellphones, PDAs, and the cable boxes on top of many 10 Chapter 1 Welcome to Linux and Mac OS X TVs. The file structure takes full advantage of large, fast hard disks. Equally important, Linux was originally designed as a multiuser operating system—it was not modified to serve several users as an afterthought. Sharing the computer’s power among many users and giving them the ability to share data and programs are central features of the system 6. What is a utility program? otften reffered to as â€Å"commands† These utilities perform functions that are universally required by users. The sort utility, for example, puts lists (or groups of lists) in alphabetical or numerical order and can be used to sort lists by part number, last name, city, ZIP code, telephone number, age, size, cost, and so forth. A utility (program), sometimes referred to as a command, is a program that performs a task that is frequently related to the operating system. A utility is simpler than an application program although there is no clear line separating the two 7. What is a shell? How does it work with the kernel? With the user? In a textual environment, the shell—the command interpreter—acts as an interface between you and the operating system. its the link between user and kernal to tell it what to do. or view what the kernal is doing. its the command line interface that accepts input from the user. 8. How can you use utility programs and a shell to create your own applications? Write a shell script, also called a shell program, or a batch file under DOS. A shell script is one or more command lines contained in a file. Make the file executable and give the name of the file as a command: The shell executes the commands in the file, as though you had typed each command individually 9. Why is the Linux filesystem referred to as hierarchical? The Linux filesystem provides a structure whereby files are arranged under directories, which are like folders or boxes. Each directory has a name and can hold other files and directories. Directories, in turn, are arranged under other directories, and so forth, in a treelike organization. This structure helps users keep track of large numbers of files by grouping related files in directories. Each user has one primary directory and as many subdirectories as required 10. What is the difference between a multiprocessor and a multiprocessing system? multi processor is a computer that has more than one processor (processing units) and multiprocessing system is the fact that it can process multiple tasks at the same time Multiprocessing is the use of more than one CPU in a computer system 11. Give an example of when you would want to use a multiprocessing system. Multiprocessing is the use of more than one CPU in a computer system so when you have more than one CPU you can take advantage of it. Multiprocessing sometimes refers to the execution of multiple concurrent software processes in a system as opposed to a single process at any one instant 12. Approximately how many people wrote Linux? Why is this project unique? The Linux kernel was developed by Finnish undergraduate student Linus Torvalds The Linux operating system, which was developed through the cooperation of many, many people around the world, is a product of the Internet and is a free 13. What are the key terms of the GNU General Public License? The GPL says you have the right to copy, modify, and redistribute the code covered by the agreement When you redistribute the code, however, you must also distribute the same license with the code, thereby making the code and the license inseparable.

Essay on The Palace of Knossos - 995 Words

Archaeology gives the modern world a window into the past. One of Greece’s major dig sites is the palace of Knossos. The palace of Knossos stood on the island of Crete near the modern town of Heraklion at the co-ordinates 35 ° 17’ 52.66†N, 25 ° 9’ 47.36†E. It was the home of King Minos and his queen. The Palace is the setting for a myth where the queen gave birth to a being that was half man, half bull, the Minotaurs, which was kept in the labyrinth of the palace; He was eventually slayed by the Athenian Thesus. The Palace of Knossos was destroyed in the later classical era and remained rubble until an archaeologist named Arthur Evans uncovered it in 1900. Since discovering the site Evans has substantially restored the palace back to its†¦show more content†¦The sanitation drainage used a closed system leading to a sewer away from the hill. The Queen’s megaron (toilet) showed the first signs of a flushing water system in the adjoining bathroom. The toilet was flushed by pouring water down the toilet. In the bathroom there was also a bath that was filled by buckets of heated water and was drained by overturning a stone covering over the drain. As the hill was constantly pelted with rain a run-off system was vital. Channels were dug in a zig zag line down the hill to catch the water and take it to the river. Underground channels had manhole so they could be repaired of unclogged. In the palace lived many people slaves, royalty, guests and other people. To cater for the huge amount of people in the palace many rooms were needed. There were 1300 rooms discovered by Arthur Evans and his teams. These rooms were used as many things storerooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms and most of all a throne room where King Minos sat as well as other kings. The throne room was the most decorated room the whole palace with sculptures, frescos and paintings. It was also the centrepiece of the whole palace because it opened out on to the central court, the heart of the palace. The throne was on the northern wall of the room and on the other three was benches and there was a sort of tub area presumably used for ceremonialShow MoreRelatedThe Palace Of Knossos By King Minos2547 Words   |  11 PagesPart A: The Palace of Knossos is the most complex structure existing from the ancient Minoan Civilization on the island of Crete. It was built in the Minoan political center of Knossos by King Minos around 1900 BC. The palace is an extremely intricate building standing five stories with large, beautiful paintings on its walls known as frescos; it even had indoor plumbing. 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These Palaces seemed to co-exist on this small island because there are no signs of wall fortifications orRead MoreThe Minoan Civilization : An Aegean Bronze Age Civilization2164 Words   |  9 Pagesexample showcasing the Minoans as being a graceful, sophisticated, fashion forward, luxurious, and intelligent civilization. Their ritual celebrations took place inside the palace, within sacred caves or on mountain peaks. There they would either sacrifi ce an animal or do a bloodless ritual. From analyzing the labyrinth like palaces, one can come to the conclusion that the Minoans were an agricultural gathering society that were drawn to open public spaces. There is little to be known of this civilization