Argument Essay
Slavery is a heinous practice that had existed for thousands of years openly. It was during the age of globalization and colonization when the practice was commercialized, in which slaves were captured from Africa and sold to the Americas to work in horrific conditions and maltreated. Slavery is a morally unjustified practice that is a horrific experience for the victim and violates one’s right to life. Innocent people were captured through horrific ways to be tortured, murdered, and whipped for no worthy reason. The practice has been advocated because of ethnocentrism and the immense profit, meanwhile denounced by Europeans who witnessed the horror of the practice in which people were maltreated. The following paragraphs will discuss about the slavery experience, advocacy and opposition of the practice, and limits of primary sources.
Slaves were treated cruelly by their captors and buyers. Slaves in Africa were captured inland by other African groups, and the process of capture is often cruel and inhumane. As mentioned in the narrative of “Venture Smith”, the African army threatened his father to pay them to be promised that there wouldn’t be an attack. After his father paid, the army broke the promise and invaded the village. Although they tried to escape, Smith’s father, some family members, and Smith himself were captured. After the torture to inquire the location his father’s money, Smith’s father died. Venture Smith reiterated the cruelty of the army by including other examples of the army’s capture of slaves. In one example, the army set fire which produced smoke to force a group of people who were hiding in the cave out. After the villagers came out, the army immediately pinioned them. As written in the narrative, the action these African armies take to capture slaves and gain riches such as threatening, torturing, and using smoke to force these villagers out as slaves is inhumane. Moreover, the act of enslaving people itself is horrific because it violates individual’s right to live freely. Not only is the process of capturing the slaves cruel, but the voyage the slaves are forced to take to reach America is also inhumane. In Olaudah Equino’s narrative, the slaves are flogged hourly when they refused to eat. And according to Equino, it was better to die than to live, which is why many slaves to attempted to jump off the ship. It is a fact that the slaves aboard the slave ship is maltreated by hourly floggings and torture. Thus, the slave experience is undeniably hard and painful. After the voyage, there is still work the slaves have to do on the plantation. As experienced and later told by both Venture Smith and Olaudah Equino, the slave experience is hard, painful, fearful, confusing, and grievous. During the capture by slave-hunting army, the march to the coast, and the voyage across the Atlantic aboard the slave ships, these slaves were tortured, murdered, bondaged, and flogged. It is undeniably true that the slave experience is brutal and inhumane.
The slave trade was abhorred by many, yet justified by some. Many advocates for slavery converted the slaves into Christian, and cited the holy Bible as justification of slavery since slavery existed in the Bible. Slavery was also justified by the ethnocentric belief, in which Europeans believed that people who are not Europeans are inferior to them. The ethnocentric system existed, and examples of it include the attempt to convert the Native Americans into Christians by missionaries and priests who worked with Columbus, Cortes, Pizarro, and other conquistadors. The reason these Europeans attempted to convert the Native Americans into Christian is because of their ethnocentric belief that these Native Americans’ religions are inferior to them. It is with this same ethnocentric belief that caused the Europeans to believe that it is justified to implement the encomienda system and later buy slaves from Africa, transport them to American plantations, and force them to work for the benefit of the Europeans. Ethnocentrism is an extremely arrogant and wrong belief because it is not right to look at people inferiorly due to their cultural difference. There is no valid reasons for ethnocentrism. On the contrary, there are many cases where Europeans oppose slavery. For example, Alexander Falconbride, who was a slave surgeon, witnessed the cruelties of the slave trade, and became an advocate against the system. Other people, such as Bartolome de Las Casas, a Spanish priest, also spoke out against the encomienda system in which Native Americans were enslaved. As a result, he wrote reports of the horror of the system and urged the king to end the system. Olaudah Equino, a Nigerian slave who bought his freedom, is also an antislavery advocate. He is a victim of the horror of slavery, of the horrible treatment aboard the slave ship. There were people who opposed slavery and also people who supported it. Those who opposed it experienced or witnessed the horror and cruelty of the system and its un-human treatment of slaves. Others who support the system justified it with their wrong ethnocentric belief.
There are limitation for the primary sources given. First, these primary sources are one sided, written by freedmen who were strong advocates against slavery. Second, these narratives are written by old slaves about their enslavement decades ago. Thus, this makes narratives likely inaccurate and lack out on some important details. Third, since the authors were slaves who were captured, they are often confused and do not know the situation they are in because of language barrier and trauma or fear. Hence, this makes the narratives lack information regarding the situation.
In conclusion, slavery is a cruel practice that is unjustified. The process of slavery is a horrific experience, and it is not right to whip, force labour, and murder people. Ethnocentrism is a wrong concept because there is no connection between being different and being inferior. Slavery is justified by some with the wrong belief of ethnocentrism and meanwhile opposed by others due to its cruelty and unmorality. Hence, slavery is an inhumane practice that is morally unjustified.
Slavery is a heinous practice that had existed for thousands of years openly. It was during the age of globalization and colonization when the practice was commercialized, in which slaves were captured from Africa and sold to the Americas to work in horrific conditions and maltreated. Slavery is a morally unjustified practice that is a horrific experience for the victim and violates one’s right to life. Innocent people were captured through horrific ways to be tortured, murdered, and whipped for no worthy reason. The practice has been advocated because of ethnocentrism and the immense profit, meanwhile denounced by Europeans who witnessed the horror of the practice in which people were maltreated. The following paragraphs will discuss about the slavery experience, advocacy and opposition of the practice, and limits of primary sources.
Slaves were treated cruelly by their captors and buyers. Slaves in Africa were captured inland by other African groups, and the process of capture is often cruel and inhumane. As mentioned in the narrative of “Venture Smith”, the African army threatened his father to pay them to be promised that there wouldn’t be an attack. After his father paid, the army broke the promise and invaded the village. Although they tried to escape, Smith’s father, some family members, and Smith himself were captured. After the torture to inquire the location his father’s money, Smith’s father died. Venture Smith reiterated the cruelty of the army by including other examples of the army’s capture of slaves. In one example, the army set fire which produced smoke to force a group of people who were hiding in the cave out. After the villagers came out, the army immediately pinioned them. As written in the narrative, the action these African armies take to capture slaves and gain riches such as threatening, torturing, and using smoke to force these villagers out as slaves is inhumane. Moreover, the act of enslaving people itself is horrific because it violates individual’s right to live freely. Not only is the process of capturing the slaves cruel, but the voyage the slaves are forced to take to reach America is also inhumane. In Olaudah Equino’s narrative, the slaves are flogged hourly when they refused to eat. And according to Equino, it was better to die than to live, which is why many slaves to attempted to jump off the ship. It is a fact that the slaves aboard the slave ship is maltreated by hourly floggings and torture. Thus, the slave experience is undeniably hard and painful. After the voyage, there is still work the slaves have to do on the plantation. As experienced and later told by both Venture Smith and Olaudah Equino, the slave experience is hard, painful, fearful, confusing, and grievous. During the capture by slave-hunting army, the march to the coast, and the voyage across the Atlantic aboard the slave ships, these slaves were tortured, murdered, bondaged, and flogged. It is undeniably true that the slave experience is brutal and inhumane.
The slave trade was abhorred by many, yet justified by some. Many advocates for slavery converted the slaves into Christian, and cited the holy Bible as justification of slavery since slavery existed in the Bible. Slavery was also justified by the ethnocentric belief, in which Europeans believed that people who are not Europeans are inferior to them. The ethnocentric system existed, and examples of it include the attempt to convert the Native Americans into Christians by missionaries and priests who worked with Columbus, Cortes, Pizarro, and other conquistadors. The reason these Europeans attempted to convert the Native Americans into Christian is because of their ethnocentric belief that these Native Americans’ religions are inferior to them. It is with this same ethnocentric belief that caused the Europeans to believe that it is justified to implement the encomienda system and later buy slaves from Africa, transport them to American plantations, and force them to work for the benefit of the Europeans. Ethnocentrism is an extremely arrogant and wrong belief because it is not right to look at people inferiorly due to their cultural difference. There is no valid reasons for ethnocentrism. On the contrary, there are many cases where Europeans oppose slavery. For example, Alexander Falconbride, who was a slave surgeon, witnessed the cruelties of the slave trade, and became an advocate against the system. Other people, such as Bartolome de Las Casas, a Spanish priest, also spoke out against the encomienda system in which Native Americans were enslaved. As a result, he wrote reports of the horror of the system and urged the king to end the system. Olaudah Equino, a Nigerian slave who bought his freedom, is also an antislavery advocate. He is a victim of the horror of slavery, of the horrible treatment aboard the slave ship. There were people who opposed slavery and also people who supported it. Those who opposed it experienced or witnessed the horror and cruelty of the system and its un-human treatment of slaves. Others who support the system justified it with their wrong ethnocentric belief.
There are limitation for the primary sources given. First, these primary sources are one sided, written by freedmen who were strong advocates against slavery. Second, these narratives are written by old slaves about their enslavement decades ago. Thus, this makes narratives likely inaccurate and lack out on some important details. Third, since the authors were slaves who were captured, they are often confused and do not know the situation they are in because of language barrier and trauma or fear. Hence, this makes the narratives lack information regarding the situation.
In conclusion, slavery is a cruel practice that is unjustified. The process of slavery is a horrific experience, and it is not right to whip, force labour, and murder people. Ethnocentrism is a wrong concept because there is no connection between being different and being inferior. Slavery is justified by some with the wrong belief of ethnocentrism and meanwhile opposed by others due to its cruelty and unmorality. Hence, slavery is an inhumane practice that is morally unjustified.