Slavery and African Slave Traders Essay Example for Free

Slavery and African Slave Traders Essay 1. What was indentured servitude like in the colonies? Was it much different from being a slave?: Indentured servants either agreed to serve for a stated period usually about five years or upon arrival to the colonies they bargained with wealthy Englishmen, Dutchmen or High German, for how long they would serve for their passage money. In the colonies indentured servants where under strict control of their masters and were not given any compensation for their work. It was much like slavery but not everything was the same. Indenture was a contract and unlike slaves servants could sue their masters if they failed to fulfill their half of the bargain. Where as slaves had no civil rights at all. Also unlike slaves servants were able to be freed after they have completed their years of labor. Usually the former servant was entitled an outfit with that most servants become land owners. 2. Compare/contrast the Middle Passage to the voyage of indentured servants. In The Middle Passage they were not treated the same as were the people in The voyage of the Indentured Servants . The people in the Middle passage were beaten and deprived of food even after the crew was full from eating fish they did not give any to the slaves. The servants were allowed to bring their own food or drinks which most still went bad but they were not deprived entirely of food. As soon as the servants got to the colonies if they had paid their passage they were free to go unlike the slaves that were sold. The condition of living on both ships were much the same as far as the diseases and illness that plagued both ships. 3. Compare/contrast Olaudah Equiano’s document with Alexander Falconbridge’s. Are these documents reliable? Why or why not? Both documents are personal accounts of what each man viewed on the slave ships. The two documents spoke of disease, malnutrition, and punishment endured by the slaves. I believe both of the documents are a reliable source because they both spoke of relatively the same conditions as the other. Both of the documents spoke of African slave traders that traded and sold African slaves to the slave trade. In both passages they spoke of the much more cruel punishment the slaves would undergo from the white men as opposed to their prior black owners. 4. Whom did the slave trade serve? How many different types of people were involved? The slave trade served mainly American merchants. For the majority French, Dutch, English, and African slave traders. Slave ships would go abroad and capture as many people they could enslave.