The Transatlantic Slave Trade

Before written history can recall, slavery has existed and been a problem prominent throughout time. The desire for power and money were powerful driving forces that contributed to introducing the concept of slavery; personal gain and greed triumphed and encouraged the abuse and disregard of human ethics. One of the most notable cases of wide-scale slave trading is that of the Transatlantic Slave trade. Its massive traffic of enslaved individuals across centuries earned its way to become one of the world's most horrible human tragedies. This essay will provide a detailed explanation of the Transatlantic Slave trade; what it was, the steps and processes, and the assorted types of slavery within. It will help delve into a realm of deeper understanding …show more content…
Throughout centuries, many greedy individuals have found different ways to obtain money through slavery. This includes forced labour, bonded labour, sex slavery, child slavery, and domestic servitude. Forced labour regards work that is done against the will of an enslaved individual. They are treated as property for exploitation and used for commercial benefits. Bonded labour, or also known as debt labour, deals with an individual that works to repay debt. This type of labour is unique, as oftentimes the labourer and employer come to a mutual agreement. It, however, breaches slavery in cases where it is impossible for workers to pay out the original debt due to exploitive contract terms, thus locking them in a viciously repetitive and hopeless cycle, with no means to be free. Sex slavery is, as the name suggests, the exploitation of men, women, and children in the commercial sex industry. Child slavery describes the forced labour of those under the age of 18 through deception and coercion. They can be enslaved in many types, including prostitution, armies, forced labour, bondage, etc; this problem still persists in many parts of the world. Ending off, domestic servitude deals with forced labour in secluded places, such as private homes. In most cases, confiscated travel documents, unfamiliar language, and isolating environments are factors that prevent workers from being able …show more content…
The theme that was prevalent across this essay was the greed for wealth and power. The trade was built upon the desire for profit, to which the disregard for human life was subject to that of cargo. It created a system that was set in place to benefit employers, working in a triangular trade route to exchange slaves for goods and merchandise. These labourers were then put to work in the many types of slavery, including forced labour, bonded labour, sex slavery, child slavery, and domestic servitude. This event in history serves as an example that displayed how far our personal greed and desires would go— to an extent where they would even cloud and fog our judgement and treatment of other people. It was truly a misfortunate and tragic event in history, where humanity’s morals were put to the