Domingos Atlantic World Analysis

Improved Essays
During the 18th century The Atlantic World was the major area for trading, not just of goods but for the trading of peoples, cultures, diseases, and religions. The coasts of Eastern Africa, North and South America, and Europe made up the Atlantic World, and many people of that time period got a chance to be apart of the interactions between those empires. Yet, none of them with so interesting of a story as African-born healer Domingos Alvares. He moved between West Africa, Brazil, and Portugal; taking along with him his open mind, charisma, and deep spirituality. Although uprooted against his will, Domingos played a huge role in the Atlantic World through his use of religious pluralism, healing practices, and strong sense of social kindred …show more content…
In addition to Vodun, they also prayed to the deity Sakpata, who was associated to small pox- a prominent disease in that region. After the death of both of his parents, Domingos was able to step up and take their place. With his rich knowledge of the religion and extraordinary talent of healing, Domingos led a tight nit group of followers that he considered like family. Unfortunately due to his position, Domingos was a target, and that led to his eventual capture, enslavement, and displacement. He was sold through the popular Atlantic slave trade and relocated to North East Brazil, set to work on a sugar plantation. Despite being in a new country, with new people, and new agriculture, “a religious leader like Domingos Alvares had a clear sense of where he was from, and where his core beliefs originated, but he was also imminently cognizant of the plurality of social, cultural, and political ideas that made communities like his possible.” (p.26) He arrived with an open mind, and an outlook such as his can get you far. The Portuguese who colonized Brazil, practiced the Catholic faith, and forced their religion on all Brazil’s inhabitants, especially the new slaves. Domingos learned Catholicism not out of fear or resentment but out of curiosity and the possibility to broaden his knowledge. He was baptized soon …show more content…
“Some of the enslaved probably found the isolation and uprooting from family to be unbearably traumatic. In stable societies of Gbe-speaking regions, an individual’s social identity was defined largely by his or her place among family and kin.” (p.33) There was no sense of individuality like what we are accustom to in present day United States. Your worth was based on the size and closeness of your kin. Throughout the book that seems to be the most frustrating part for Domingos, having to start over and try to connect with new people and rebuild his community of followers. One can almost feel his struggle when you learn that where he’s from “…to be alienated from the collective wealth, power, and protection of the natal lineage group was tantamount to social death, a virtual erasure of one’s personhood.” (p.33) By building the many social networks that he did, first in Benin, then North East Brazil, Rio, and lastly Lisbon he organizes an extensive following across the countries that comprise The Atlantic World, making his mark on this vital time in history. He was needed, trusted, sought after, persecuted, but above all a remarkable man. Not only acquiring followers of African decent but a wide variety of people, from the poorest slave to the wealthiest plantation

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    During the late sixteenth century, Spain had been fueled with fervor for colonial expansion. This reflected the European ideology of the time, which entailed the culturally myopic notion that Europe was the paragon of civilization, and that European nations had not only the right but also the obligation to civilize and westernize barbaric people from barbaric cultures, and to seize and imperialistically re-appropriate their foreign land. Jan Van Der Straet’s allegory “Discovery of America: Vespucci Landing in America” embodies the visualization of such European ideology and thereby attempts to lure early explorers and colonizers with enticing imagery, promising virgin land and bountiful natural wealth. In the illustration, Van Der Straet…

    • 1275 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Andres Resendez’s work A Land So Strange interprets Cabeza de Vaca’s journey across America as “an extreme tale of survival” in which he was able to bridge two different worlds in order to survive. Resendez’s central argument is that Cabeza de Vaca transformed over his journey across America from a conquistador with conquering intentions to a medicine man that advocated for diplomacy and alliance with the Indians. Resendez’s interpretation of Cabeza de Vaca’s transformation and commitment to a more peaceful and kind conquest aligns with Cabeza de Vaca’s personal account at surface level, however; when Cabeza de Vaca’s intentions are evaluated from his personal account on what happened, it becomes evident that Resendez did not interpret Cabeza…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Bariso Hussein Movie Response “Home from the Eastern Sea” In the movie I saw times where chinese americans were trying to assimilate. The movie highlighted how some would use famous American quotes such as Ben Franklin’s: “Early to bed and early to rise”. Also in sports. The two baseball leagues created in Yakima valley showed the uniting of the Chinese community and the integration into America.…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Revolutions in the Atlantic World: A Comparative History, Wim Klooster examined and compared four Atlantic World Revolutions: The American Revolution, The French Revolution, The Haitian Revolution, and the Spanish Revolutions. Klooster provided an introduction to global events leading up to the eighteenth and early nineteenth century Atlantic World revolutions. He then devoted a chapter to each revolution, and in the fifth and final chapter conducted a comparative discussion. Klooster approached the studies with specific ideas in mind; 1) International context was mandatory, 2)…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Colonial Habits Summary

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Kathryn Burn’s book, Colonial Habits: Convents and the Spiritual Economy of Cuzco, Peru, provides an indepth look at colonial society throughout three centuries through the inner workings of a convent. The author is able to skillfully guide the reader through an analysis of the colonization of Cuzco, the most important Andean city in Southern Peru, from the insides of a convent of cloistered women. In the colonization of the Americas the nuns were in no way isolated from the outside world. In fact, the nuns were involved in a very complex “spiritual economy,” a term coined by the author to describe the intricate weave of exchanges with the rest of society that involved not only prayers but also negotiations of loans, inter-elite alliances, and the education of essentially but not exclusively young elite women.…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ap Us History Dbq

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Slaves were treated as a completely different and less-equal species. This text very much expanded my knowledge of slave experiences in America. I didn’t realize the extent that these groups were treated as…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During the time period of the 11th century until as far as the 1700s, it is evident that because Europe and the Americas shared ideas about culture and businesses between their nations, improvements that have modernized both unions fairly, are the positive result. Gradual developments in Europe eventually helped in the discovery of America by the vikings settlement. It is clear that as a result of events in Europe such as the Crusades, the Renaissance, and the rise of absolute monarchs, both America and Europe have established new customs unique to their nation. It is valuable to understand how the harshness of the events in Europe resulted in something that was beneficial, ultimately determining that it was unintentional, for the modernization…

    • 1523 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Ap Euro Dbq Research Paper

    • 1541 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In the later fifthteenth century, European exploration and discovery driven by a want to discover a sea route in the East resulted in a series of Portuguese voyages. Geographical findings by Europe brought several new assets such as land, wealth, precious metals, and new products like coffee and tobacco. Inopportunely, in an attempt to quickly use these resources to their advantage, conflict in Europe resulted in a domain which was split into commercial empires. In area such as France and England arose the development of machinery of the strong central government along with aggressive mercantilist policies. Within this paper, I will discuss challenges and responses which can be found from this growth of Europe.…

    • 1541 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    European Exploration Dbq

    • 179 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Motivated by the search for “God, Gold, and Glory” in the West and “Christians and Spices” in the East, the era between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries is characterized by European exploration and discovery. While in Southeast Asia this exploration was primarily illustrated by the spice trade, in the America’s European exploration allowed for the creation and domination of a new world. Driven by these aims, several western European countries were able to gain control or influence over widening segments of the globe throughout the Early Modern Era both politically and economically. As a result of this age of European exploration and conquest, Europeans not only united the old and new worlds, but they also gradually brought various…

    • 179 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The allure of gold and riches in the Atlantic World tempted Europeans to begin and exploring there, but the long journey there was no easy task. A recently developed kind of ship, the caravel, was strong, durable, fast, and maneuverable. Before the caravel was developed, ships were either strong and durable, or fast and maneuverable; because of this, the invention of the caravel was instrumental in getting Europeans to the Americas. The reason that the caravel was so much better than the ships the Europeans had used previously was that mariners attached a triangular sail to the rear mast of the ship, in addition to the large square sails on the front and center masts. This triangular sail provided added protection from the wind and enabled sailors to return to shore from the sea…

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Olaudah Equiano Thesis

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Olaudah Equiano, a victim to the malicious slave trade, gives vivid detail and insight into the world of slavery from a slave’s point of view. The article studied was written by Equiano himself, an Ibo prince who was seized from his homeland of Africa and thrust into a cruel life of bondage at the age of only eleven. Equiano writes of the hardship of his voyage overseas in the late years of the seventeenth century. Part of his story is shared in this article, the story of an African male going from slavery to freedom. He records and shares his story in 1789 as he worked to further the Church of England after purchasing his freedom from a Quaker merchant.…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    ADW 111 PROF. HALEY Critical Essay Original Title Toni Spencer tspence9@scmail.spelman.edu November 7, 2017 The African diaspora is made up of individuals that share the common ancestry of African descent. According to Professor Tiffany Ruby Patterson and Dr. Robin D.G. Kelley, the african diaspora is the “experiences of african peoples dispersed by the slave trade and [it is] also an analytic term that enabled scholars to talk about black communities across national boundaries. Much of this scholarship examined the dispersal of people of African descent, their role in transformation and creation of new cultures, institutions and ideas outside of Africa” (par. 5).…

    • 1117 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    With no freedom and wealth, if any, most slaves were subject to harsh treatment and poor living conditions. They were commonly a status symbol for the aristocrats. By “owning” these slaves, nobles and other high-ranking officials marveled in delight at the prospect of raising ones’ status in society. Unlike the 19th century where slavery was categorized by skin color, race did not play a factor in ancient times. Instead, slaves were taken as “war captives” from other countries where battles were fought, regardless of race or ethnicity (Cartwright).…

    • 1286 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The area, near the Atlantic Ocean, has warmer winters and cooler summers that is influenced by climate change. Increased CO2 concentration in the atmosphere creates a dramatically warmer climate against the previously colder Atlantic area, giving the possibility of severe storms and precipitations (Richard, Dominic, & Kerstin, 2011). Climate change and the warming atmosphere could offer the proper grown environment for non- native species as well (Richard, Dominic, & Kerstin, 2011). Because of the cutting of old trees and the growing of new ones, new bugs and tree disease that have potential effects on the local species of environment (Richard, Dominic, & Kerstin, 2011). Even more, non- native species may grow over the native ones.…

    • 220 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The play, The Tempest is one of the many texts which allegorically represents various aspects of colonial oppression. The Tempest resonates with unusual power and variety. Prospero’s supreme control over the island and over the spirits of the island symbolizes his imperialistic nature within the play. Shakespeare presents the issue of imperialism through the character, Prospero as he has dominant power and control over the island and the original inhabitants. Parteni defines imperialism as “the process whereby the dominant political-economic interest of one nation controls other peoples’ land and goods for their own enrichment” (2005) and this can be seen in the tempest as Prospero uses his language and power to imperialize the original inhabitants…

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays