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Reasons for the Change to African Slave Labor in the Caribbean

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Submitted By jaylawes
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As the change from tobacco to sugar cane production began to take place, so did the change in slave labour. It is said that the Amerindians were unfit for harsh labour and were in turn decimated. The Europeans then had to rely on the convicts, bondservants and prisoners of war to exploit resources and spread agricultural systems. This proved to be futile as the men that were taken were from cities and towns back in Europe. Originally, slavery had taken place among the different tribes in Africa, but in 1518, a shipload of slaves was brought from the African Coast to the Caribbean. After Portugal had succeeded in establishing sugar plantations in northern Brazil in 1545, Portuguese merchants on the West Coast of Africa began to supply enslaved Africans to the sugar planters. There are said to be many reasons African slaves were brought to work on thee plantations. There are two theories that aim to either support or disregard these reasons; racism and economical factors. Firstly, the plantation owners were said to have been guaranteed a steady supply of African slaves as opposed to the uncertain flow of bondservants, convicts and prisoners of war from Europe. This was undoubtedly true. Only so many people were convicted or taken a prisoner. It was indeed a lot but not when compared to the amount of Africans that were carried to the Caribbean through the slave trade. The Europeans came to the realization that slavery was already present. From excerpts that were taken from European traveller’s journals, it is said that the Africans were truly inhumane to each other. It did not matter that they were of the same orientation. They would hunt and capture members from other tribes to sell to the Europeans as slaves. Even mothers would offer up their children. It was later discovered that this was in fact an act to save their children from the life

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