Legacies of Slavery
Slavery has been an evident and dark aspect of our world’s society for centuries. Slavery during colonial times led to the exploitation and the oppression of African natives. Millions of people were kidnapped and enslaved, societies throughout Africa were ravished and destroyed and new societies were completely built and maintained on the labor and lives of Africans. Slavery was implemented for the economic enrichment of Europe and other countries that descended from Europe.
It was this very same exploitation that led to the mass expansion of industry across Britain and the United States, as well as other major areas throughout the world. Slavery created the circumstances under which Africans and many African nations were confined to the worst conditions ever experienced by the human race.
Of course the memories of those who were enslaved are much different from those of Europeans and their descendants. For many, the legacies of slavery are simply a distant memory of a period in history that bears no resemblance to their lives today. Throughout Britain and America, many people are under the belief that slavery was only a short term period that lasted only a small time and its benefits were only seen by a minute number of white people.
They believe that the evil legacies of slavery are overshadowed by the role of the British abolitionists. For those of African descent however, the memory bears a distinctive difference. Slavery and exploitation affects everyday lives with memories of suffering, brutalism, terror and death. Books and publications from colonial time slaves give us insight into the real legacies of slavery and all that the term encompasses.
While there were slave owners who took care of their slaves, providing food and shelter among other privileges, there were a multitude of slave owners who believed that cruelly beating slaves was an acceptable practice. Many slaves from this period were beaten to death by slave owners for their acts of defiance, such as standing up for themselves and their families and instigating escapes. The dark period that we know as the American slavery period is forever haunted by memories from these publications. Stories of women being ravished and raped for the enjoyment of their owners and bearing Mulatto children who were forever condemned by both the American and African races are told throughout history.
Children growing up not knowing that freedom existed for Africans were also widespread throughout this period. Pain, fear and an overall feeling of uselessness was rampant throughout slave quarters. Some slaves during this time simply had no idea that a free life existed. It was not until America’s Civil War that some slaves realized that they had a human right to their own freedom.
The legacies of slavery may very well point to a thriving society and of societies that have evolved over time into the world that we know today. These legacies however, also point to a gross negligence and abuse of a people whose only sin in life is that they just happened to be born in a country that was not as rich and developed as those that they were eventually sold into.
There are many people throughout the world who believe that racism was born of slavery. This is another legacy of slavery. Because of the initial African enslavement, many people feel that today’s racial inequalities exist. These different interpretations of slavery and its legacies throughout the world have resulted in many groups who celebrate Christopher Columbus for discovering America, while other groups condemn him for discovering a land that has caused much grief and turmoil for a select race of people.
