Slavery in America

An unimaginable Slavery tragedy befell the African people. On a sunny day, a Dutch ship set anchor on the shores near a small village Africa. The native people watched from the lush green ferns as the visitors walked onto the shore. They had a strange vessel. One they haven’t seen the likes of before. The visitors were carrying large shiny objects that gleamed in the sunlight. They had to shield their eyes against the brightness. Bubu, one of the tribal leaders, pointed to the leader of the intruders. He thought the stranger had a suspicious nature about him. All the native people who were watching the interlopers were wondering if they came in peace. They crept back to their village to warn the others and prepare for the invasion.

            The villagers had spears designed from long poles with a chiseled stone attached to the end of the poles which were usually used to hunt small animals. They felt as ready as they could possibly be to greet the new arrivals. Their numbers greatly outnumbered the number of the visitors by at least fifty to one. The strangers were quickly approach-ing their village. The women and children were told to hide in the jungle and wait for a sign that it was safe for them to come out of hiding. They were experiencing fear about the intruders. Their visitors were only a few yards from the village.

            Bubu became one of the leaders of the village because of his brave hunting skills and his ability to make good decisions for the village. Bubu approached the Dutch leader and bowed down to the visitor. The Dutch leader, named John, returned the bow and put his hand out for Bubu to shake. Bubu did not know what to do about such a behavior so he backed up and looked John straight in his eyes to gain clarity about what John’s expectations were. John smiled and pulled his hand away.

            John towered over Bubu. His long blond hair and blue eyes stood out amongst the tribal men. All of the Dutch men in John’s party were taller than the tribal men. They had ruddy complexions which was different from the smooth dark skin of the native people.

            The group of tribal men motioned the Dutch men to join them around the fire. They tried to ask what the Dutch men wanted but were not getting through to their visitors, language barriers.

            The native men offered the Dutch men a mixture of bambara beans and corn on banana leaves. The travelers were hungry so they ate hurriedly. They were given bananas which they ate quickly, also. Their food was washed down with coconut milk. Their stomachs started cramping from the strange food and they took turns disappearing into the jungle to relieve themselves.

            The Dutch men started drawing pictures in the sandy ground in an attempt to communicate. They drew pictures of jewelry and precious stones. The tribal men looked confused. They pointed to the shiny stone Bubu was wearing. Bubu was wearing an African agate that was attached to a thin bamboo strip. Bubu looked confused and led John to his hut to show him another jade stone. John smiled and picked up the stone and examined it. It appear-

ed to be the real thing, a jade stone which would probably be considered valuable in the Netherlands. Again, John drew pictures of caves and the jungle trying to ask where to find such treasures. Bubu did not know how to respond.

            John was becoming more and more impatient. He knew getting angry was not going to solve his dilemma but he couldn’t help himself. They have been traveling for days on the open seas and were weary. The men from his party were feeding off his anger. They walked towards their boat and discussed what to do about the problem. They decided to use trickery and lure the villagers into the jungle to show them where they got the stones. They longed for their trip to be profitable and worth their while. Precious stones would be the ticket.

            They went back to the boats to get gifts for the villagers, they returned with a couple of woolen sacks and a small metal cup to offer as a gift. The villagers were ecstatic to receive such gifts. John pointed to Bubu’s necklace again and tried to ask where to get such stones. Bubu looked confused and then he led John and the rest of the party to an area where a large volcano was located. Bubu bowed to the volcano. John gave Bubu a strange look wondering what he was doing. John was led to a lava zone area. He could see large chunks of rounded nodules or geodes that appeared like large shiny rocks.

            Agates were the oldest stones recorded in history and have been used for thousands of years for various reasons. Some have used agates to provide protection for themselves or others and the stones were believed to have magical powers. Agates have been known throughout history to be used to ward off storms. If an agate was placed on a person’s head, the person would have abounding and diverse dreams. Dreams were used to predict future events and provide protection. The stones were known to draw strength, offer protection from nightmares, stress and protect people from having their energy drained from their bodies. The villagers were leery about giving up their precious gems to outsiders. They were hopeful the interlopers would not be interested in taking a vast amount of their precious gems.

            Henry, one of the Dutch men, decided to take a large rock and try chipping away at the shiny surface to see if he could remove some of the agate material. The gray, brown and red circular designs mesmerized the visitors. They were wondering if they were standing in an area filled with lots of opportunity to amass wealth. Larks were making a cloaking sound to warn the other larks that they may be danger. The volcano was covered in thick lush underbrush. A puff of smoke rose from the opening at the top. The visitors looked at each other wondering if the volcano was going to erupt.

            John said, “perhaps we need to cut our visit a little short. I am afraid that volcano is going to erupt.”

            Many of the Dutch men nodded in agreement.

            The Dutch voyagers were looking for something valuable to bring back to their home country which was the town of Jamestown, Virginia. They were involved in the starting of a new tobacco business. The Native Americans who lived in the area provided them with tobacco seeds. They discovered it was a hardy plant that grew quite well in the climate and terrain of Virginia. If they could not carry a lot of the precious agates back to their boat, perhaps they needed to take a different route.

            They requested the tribal men to assist them with carrying the agates back to their boats. The tribal men helped carry some of the stones. The voyagers were getting weary and wanted to rest for the evening. One of the men laid on the ground and pretended he was sleeping when they returned to the tribal encampment. They were given bamboo mats and were instructed to sleep near the fire.

            The children and women came out of hiding and sat off in distance while they ate their dinner. The tribal men joined them.

            Once nightfall hit and the sky was littered with stars, everyone was sleeping soundly.

            The next day, the sun was shining. The tribal people rose and some of the women rebuilt the community fire. The men were cutting strange plants, pineapple. They offered the visitors some of the fruit.

            “This is really good. I wonder what we are eating,” said John.

            “I like it too,” replied Henry.

            “We should try to take some of this back with us,” said John.         

            John rounded up his men and shared his plan.

            “What do you think about bringing back cheap labor to work the tobacco fields. That will free us to do more important things like build up our business and explore other trades. I don’t know about you, but I would love to line my pockets with more money.”

            “What do you have in mind,” asked Henry.

            “I am thinking about taking some of these strong native men and perhaps some of the women so they can produce more workers for us,” replied Shawn.

            “That sounds like a plan. How do you plan on pulling that off,” asked Peter, another Dutchman.

            “Let’s lure at least 20 onto our ship under the pretense that we want to show them something,” said John.

            Charles smiled and said, “I like how you think.”

            Twenty-five native men and women followed the Dutchmen onto their ship and they led them to the bottom of the ship. The Dutchmen pulled out their swords from their leather straps and ordered them to stay. The Dutchmen locked the bunker and placed a large chest on top of the trap door.

            The conditions for the slaves while held captive in the bunker were horrible. They received very little water and food. The food they did receive was rancid. Rats scurried about trying to steal what little food the prisoners received. While they slept, the rats fed on their flesh. The captives were covered with rat bites, starving and some faced the hardships of influenza, pneumonia and dysentery. Two women and three men died on the journey from Africa to Jamestown, Virginia, a British colony.

            At their village in Africa, many of the villagers searched high and low for their missing people. Lots of tears were shed. They looked in caves and walked for miles in the jungle surrounding the village. They finally had to admit their loved ones were taken by the visitors because they were missing, also. They were surprised after treating the strangers with kind hospitality that they would take their people. They wondered if they went willingly or were they forced. They had no idea they were going to lose part of their families, friends and comrades. It felt like a huge hole was dug in the center of the village, an abyss. They lost their tribal leader, Bubu, and some of their most fierce warriors and hunters.

            Upon the arrival at the port in Jamestown, the voyagers were weary from the long journey and were very happy to see land. The prisoners were left on board the ship until they could secure housing for them. John approached the local jail to see if the prisoners could be held in custody until they were sold to the highest bidders.

            “John, I think I want to have a beer before I meet with the jailor,” said Henry.

            “A tall one sounds good to me, also,” replied Samuel, another voyager.

            “Look, Edward is standing at the bar,” said John.

            John approached Edward, the jailor, and asked him if he could buy him a beer. Edward accepted the offer.

            “We just docked our boat and we have a question for you,” said John.

            The other men stood watching John.

            “We have some prisoners we took back with us from Africa and we need a place for them to stay until some of them are sold as slaves to the plantation owners and we can prepare a place for them to stay on our properties,” said John.

            “How many are we talking about?” asked Edward.

            “About 20 or so,” replied John.

            “What’s in it for me?” asked Edward.

            “You mean payment for storing them?” asked John.

            “Yes. You know I will have to feed them and clean up after them,” replied Edward.

            “How about we give you a percentage of what we make from selling them. Let’s say 20 percent or maybe you can look them over and take one of them,” replied John.

            “I would like to look them over before making up my mind.”

            “Fair enough.”

            “The deal is done. I think we may need to have them take a dip in the river before we lock them up in jail. Clean them up a bit and make them look more presentable.”

            “I think that’s a good idea. We may need to find them some clothes to wear, some clean clothes,” said Henry.

            “I  am going to sneak into some of the yards and steal clothes off the clothes lines,” said Samuel.

            “Why don’t you go and do that right now. Take some of your buddies with you,” ordered John.

            “I want to unload the heathens as soon as possible,” said Bernard, another voyager.

            “Did you catch the smell of the bunker when I opened the door this morning to throw them some grub?” asked Samuel.

            “We are going to have to use buckets of lye to get rid of the stench,” replied Samuel.

            Samuel, Peter and George found a variety of clothing when they raided homes when the owners were out and they also stole clothing off clothes lines. The thin sheaths, knickers and shirts were in decent condition.

            The dead captives were thrown in the James River. The prisoners were ordered to remove the loin cloths and grass skirts they were wearing. They did not understand the order so their garments were stripped off of them. They stood shivering in the cool breeze during the early morning hours. The Dutchmen carried flintlock muskets as they walked behind the prisoners. They were ordered to climb into the river and scrub their bodies and hair with sand and pebbles. The clothes they confiscated were put on the distraught captives. Many of them had given up any hope of freedom and followed commands obediently. They appeared to have lost every ounce of hope.

            Luna, one of the prisoners, was in her first trimester of pregnancy. She was heaving on the sandy shore. Henry hit her on her back by using the end of his musket to get her moving up the path to the town. Tears started streaming down her cheeks. Henry hit her again. Bo, another captive, looked angrily at Henry and then turned away before he was caught doing so.

            The prisoners were marched to the jail for Edward to view and make his decision.

            Edward asked if the women could remove their clothing. Samuel stripped the six women of their clothing. Edward picked a young woman with long black hair and her skin was the color of dark molasses. She was slender and had long dark eye lashes. She had long slender legs and small breasts. She was a beautiful young woman of 13 years of age. The average marrying age of women in Jamestown was 12 years of age. If they reached 15 years of age, they were considered spinsters and their fathers were looked upon with disfavor. That left the voyagers with 19 prisoners to sell as slaves and to keep for themselves. John met with the colonial governor and one of the chapter presidents to set up an auction to sell the slaves.

            Word spread like wild fire throughout the colony. Some of the tobacco plantation owners wanted to buy all the slaves and not share the bounty.

            The slaves were marched onto the platform to be viewed by the plantation owners. Each slave was stripped of their clothing. A look of dismay and fear crossed their faces. They looked down at their feet instead of at the people in the audience. John started the bidding for the first slave, Bubu. Bubu looked angrily at the crowd, he looked at his captors with defiance. He decided to go down with a fight. He sought to seek some respect and decorum for himself as he stood naked in front of the rowdy crowd. Bubu was of slim built and had muscular arms. John thought Bubu’s broad shoulders would be a selling factor which demonstrated that he was durable and could work very hard for his new owner.

            Gerald, one of the wealthiest plantation owners bought Bubu and Luna with six double crowns. John rubbed his hands together and royal crown signs were in his eyes. He was almost drooling.

            Fourteen additional slaves were sold for at least 11 shillings each.  One of the slaves was a young man named Kalama. He was barely 12 years of age. He appeared to be frail and was shaking horribly. He looked terrified as he watched the other slaves hauled away by their new masters. Finally, an elderly man raised his hand and said he would pay 11 shillings for Kalama. He was drug off the stage and handed to the man. The man put a leash over Kalama’s head and pulled it tightly and proceeded to pull Kalama behind him roughly. Kalama’s face was streaked with tears. He could not even imagine what terrors awaited him.

            The new slave owners were not adept at managing the slaves they purchased. They locked them up at night and let them out during the day to work in the fields. Field hands usually watched over them while wielding a musket. A machete would be strapped to their hips with leather straps and a whip would be wrapped around their shoulders at the ready in case a slave disobeyed any command. Most of the captives were whipped on a regular basis. Some of the slaves were taken advantage of sexually, even the male slaves with immense cruelty. The slave that Edward, the jailor, kept served Edward as a surrogate wife.

            “Bird, get your ass over here right now,” ordered Gerald.

            Bubu, who was renamed Bird, begrudgingly walked over to his master.

            “Bird, I thought I told you to clean out the horse stalls,” said Gerald in a very angry voice.

            Bird did not understand what the man was saying and before he knew it he was tied to a post and wiped ten times with a long leather whip. Bird stopped crying a while ago. When someone has given up completely and was completely broken with no hope of survival, it became difficult to muster tears. He dutiful took the whippings. Bird was a powerful man who ran a village and hunted wild boars and lions. To find himself reduced to such a level of disgrace and dishonor was more than he could take. One night he strung a rope over a rafter in the barn and hung himself.

            Kalama found himself in one of the best situations. He had to care for the home of his master named Homer and help on the farm. Homer and his wife, Martha, were sweet older people who owned a small farm with cows, pigs and bees. They sold milk and honey at the town market. Whenever other towns people were observing their relationship with Kalama, they acted as if they were mistreating him. Kalama was taught the English language. With the proper diet he grew into a strong young man and ended up being taller than his master. He flourished and questioned why he ended up being so lucky. Kalama was permitted to keep his original name.

            Luna ended up losing the baby she was carrying when she arrived in Jamestown. She was being whipped and started to miscarriage. She was thrown in the river and ordered to get back to the tobacco field to pick the crop. Her master’s wife, Marianne, was very jealous of her and wanted her removed from their small plantation. Marianne knew her husband, Jeremy, was sleeping with Luna. Luna was renamed Clara. Clara escaped and ran off into the woods never to be seen again.

            The rest of the slaves had a variety of stories. Most were renamed and severely abused on a regular basis. The language barriers caused a lot of problems for the slaves. A strict hierarchy was established among the slaves and their owners. The house slaves and the artisans such as the seamstresses were more privileged than the lowly field workers. It was believed that if the slaves were divided, it would help to stave off rebellions. Slave families were often separated when parts of families were sold to other owners. Rebellious slaves were severely mistreated. Marriages between slaves had no legal standing. The slaves were encouraged to have large families to provide their masters with future slave labor. More slaves were abducted from Africa and brought to Jamestown.

                                                                                     

            The onslaught of slavery secured its shackles around many of the lives of the people who were forced to leave their homes in Africa. Slavery in America started when the first African slaves were brought to North America to the colony of Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. Slavery began in America as a way of aiding in the production of crops such as cotton and tobacco and to work in the mines. Slaves proved to be a precious commodity. White people felt it was below them to be toiling in the fields picking crops. Since black people were considered less than human due to the color of their skin, they needed to be doing the arduous labor. American slaves aided in the building of this country and fulfilled the many demands of the growing economy.   

            The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 also set in stone the importance of slavery. The westward expansion in America along with the abolition movement in the north, led to the bloodiest of civil wars in 1861. The union enabled four million slaves to be released from their fettered existence. 120 million Africans were killed by the Islamic slave trade in Africa during the 1700s and 1800s. Approximately 11 million slaves were shipped to the U.S. and Europe while another 14 million were sent to the Islamic nations (this was not usually historically told in reports about slavery). Missionary David Livingstone who witnessed some of the savage slave raids conducted by the Muslims estimated that for each slave who was sold, five Africans were killed in the raid or died during the forced march to a port (Quayle, 2011).

            A slave owner kept his slaves at a lower status without any legal rights. Slaves were imprisoned and not permitted access to education because they would not develop independence and be able to think on their own. They were only educated in the tasks they needed to carry out for their owners. They were often cut off from the outside world. A slave was not allowed to ask questions and blind obedience was expected. Most masters wanted their slaves to lavish them with praise and devotion.

            A vicious cycle of racial hierarchy occurred for the people of color throughout history. From the sixteenth to eighteenth century, the Europeans imported millions of slaves from Africa. Slaves were taken from Africa instead of Asia for a variety of reasons. Africa was closer which made it cheaper. An already well-established slave trade was in existence in Africa. American plantations such as Virginia, Haiti and Brazil were plagued with malaria and yellow fever which originated in Africa. The African slaves had acquired an immunity to the diseases. It was believed that blacks lived in filth and spread diseases. They were considered a source of pollution which was evident later when they were forced to use separate bathroom facilities and the establishment of the KKK. A decision to abduct and import slaves to North America altered the balance of power for the African people who were forced to live in this country for centuries. 

            From ancient times to more recent times slavery has been in place to aid the wealthy people to hold positions of power and slaves have enhanced the economy considerably throughout the history of this world. Slaves were first introduced in America in 1619 and were used on tobacco and cotton plantations for centuries. Slavery existed all over the world throughout the history of this world. The Knights Templars, who served the Church, Muslims, Greeks, Romans and Europeans owned and sold slaves. Slavery was a form of expressed oppression and domination over a group of individuals who were usually taken by force