The National Geographic Magazine, Vol. I., No. 2, April, 1889Various
History
The National Geographic Magazine, Vol. I., No. 2, April, 1889
Various
Geography -- Periodicals
There are two kinds of slavery,--home and foreign. The first has always
prevailed in Africa. Prisoners taken in war are sacrificed, eaten, or
made slaves. Slavery is also a punishment for certain offences, while
in some tribes men frequently sell themselves. These slaves are of the
same race and civilization as their masters. They are usually well
treated, regarded as members of the family, to whom a son or daughter
may be given in marriage, the master often preferring to keep his
daughter in the family to marrying her to a stranger. This slavery is a
national institution of native growth. It is said one half of the
inhabitants are slaves to the other half. The horrors of the
slave-trade are unknown in this kind of slavery.
In the other case the slave is torn from his home, carried to people,
countries, and climates with which he is unfamiliar, and to scenes and
civilization which are uncongenial, where his master is of a different
color and of another and higher civilization, where the master and
slave have nothing in common. The Spaniards made slaves of the Indians
of America, but they were incapable of work, unfitted for slavery, and
rapidly faded away. In pity for the Indians, the Africans were brought
to supply their places. Their ability to labor was proved, and they
were soon in great demand.
It is impossible to ascertain the number of slaves imported into
America. The estimates vary from 4,000,000 to 5,000,000. The larger
number is probably an underestimate; but these figures do not represent
the number shipped from Africa, for 12½ per cent. were lost on the
passage, one-third more in the "process of seasoning;" so that, out of
100 shipped from Africa, not more than 50 lived to be effective
laborers.
Livingstone, who studied the question of slavery most carefully,
estimated, that, for every slave exported, not less than five were
slain or perished, and that in some cases only one in ten lived to
reach America. If the lowest estimate is taken, then not less than
20,000,000 Negroes were taken prisoners or slain to furnish slaves to
America. No wonder that many parts of Africa were depopulated.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account