legacy of slavery and slave trade

The new world in this context refers to the United States of America and the Caribbean islands where most of the people of African origin were found. The people of African origin in the new world were a product of Trans-Atlantic slave trade. This trade led to the exportation of many Africans in the form of slaves to America to provide cheap labor on plantations and mines.

The origin or genesis of the African people in the new world

1. Mercantilism This was an economic system which involved conducting trade overseas searching for gold and silver. Mercantilism led to the rise of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade which was a trading activity which involved Africa, Europe and America.
2. Booming capitalist agriculture During mercantilism European capitalists established different plantations of coffee, sugarcane, cotton and tobacco which called for massive supply of cheap labor. Thus the supply of white labor was getting difficult compared to the expanding needs of the plantations, therefore called for importation of slaves from Africa.
3. Industrial revolution in Europe Due to the industrial revolution, there was a need to expand home markets. Thus the merchants and the ruling class in Europe were afraid of under population: this prompted the campaign against the use of white labor. The crisis called for massive importation of slaves from Africa to provide cheap labor on plantations.
4. Africans slaves were cheap It's on record that money paid to a white labor for ten years could procure an African slave for life. In addition, a white worker was expected to acquire land at the end of the contract while an African slave was prevented by law from owning land. This condition necessitated the use of African labor thus the existence of people of African origin in the new world.
5. Discoveries of maritime technology This acted as a pushing factor for Africans to be taken as slaves. Maritime technology eased transportation and guided the merchants to locate Africa. Thus, be in possession to transport people of African origin to the new world.
6. Inability of the indigenous people Initially the Europeans were using Native Americans and red Indians to provide cheap labor on the plantations and mining centers, but these later died in huge numbers due to plague. This called for an importation of African slaves which contributed to the existence of people of African origin in the new world.
7. Discovery of the new world The discovery of the new world by Christopher Columbus in 1492 contributed to the existence of people of African origin in the new world.

Problems faced by the people of African origin in the new world

The people of African origin faced various problems which were caused by the development of capitalism. The European maintained certain conditions to ensure the survival of capitalism at the expense of the people of African origin. These problems are classified into political, economic and social aspects.

Political problems

1. Denied the right to vote The people of African origin were denied the right to vote. Various measures were put that made difficult for the black people to vote. The qualifications to vote included one should have attained a certain level of income and had a grandfather who was eligible to vote.
2. Denied equal representation People of African origin were denied equal representation in the government. To make matters worse: they were even denied the right to run for political office hence they had no representatives in the government.
3. Denied the right to make decisions People of African origin were denied the right to make decisions in the new world. They lost all their rights as human beings hence they could not even make decisions regarding their own lives.

Economic problems

1. Denied the right to own land People of African origin were denied the right to own land, they were forbidden by law to own land or any other property. This rendered them to be only domestic servants in the new world.
2. Poor working conditions People of African origin were exposed to poor working conditions on the plantations owned by the whites. They signed contracts with planters were they agreed to offer labor on conditions similar to those of slavery

Social problems

1. Racial discrimination The people of African origin were subjected to racial discrimination in all aspects of life. Laws were established which restricted people of African origin to live in separate and inferior sections of hospitals, cemeteries and toilet facilities.
2. Education The people of African origin faced different problems in education system. There was segregation in the education system whereby black people were denied admission in secondary schools, colleges and universities because of their race.
3. Denied the right to marry Black people were denied the right to many and be married. The capitalist believed that marriage would hinder the exploitation of African labor since it would become expensive to maintain the black people and their families. Laws were also established that prohibited relations between a black and a white man.

Due to the problems: the people of African origin began to wage struggles for equality, economic power and civil rights. The development of class consciousness among the people of African origin was caused by numerous factors that contributed to the rise of black American nationalism.