Abstract
The 16th century through the 19th
century was a world of interconnectedness among nations, and the Atlantic Ocean
became one of the biggest tools for enabling the act of trade among those
nations. The Atlantic World became heavily invested in the trading of
goods; the act of slave trading became a regular and fundamental part of the
trade system and the very origin of the Atlantic World by the 18th
century. The act of slave trading meant that Africans were taken from
Africa across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World. They were kidnapped
from their homes, chained together, and confined under the decks of cramped
ships where many lost their lives. Africans slaves were stripped of lives, freedom, identities, and more significantly, their personhood. They were
often seen as savages, and others saw them as animals or mere objects. As
slaves, they were not considered human in the eyes of Europeans. However,
Africans were not considered strictly inhuman either; rather, Africans fell
into the middle area in between the two--para-human (Allewart
85). The gray area of para-humanity in the Atlantic World created an
interesting dilemma for Europeans and Anglo-Americans, as the definition of
personhood was redefined completely. The goal of our project is to
investigate how personhood was redefined during 18th and 19th centuries due to
the birth of para-humanity, and how those definitions actively took shape in
the lives of the African slaves who were categorized as such.
Why is this a significant topic?
Today, in the twenty-first century world we live in, the democratic, materially rich, and technologically advanced society, we are constantly reacting to daily events. We seem to take our freedom for granted; yet, we should never assume that we built this free-spirited capitalist society alone. There was a period of time when our idea of cultural supremacy meant the abuse of other human races, exploiting their freedom and personhood for our benefit. The Atlantic slave trade was one such historical phase when millions of African people were enslaved and transported to European colonies across the Atlantic Ocean.
Looking at the issue of personhood during this time is even more important because the history of America and the foundation in which our country has been built upon is centered on the idea of personhood. When the Atlantic world was heavily involved with the slave trade, our nation was also active in building the foundation of the country. Basic political concepts such as the public good, individual equality and liberty were the center of the colonial Americans' debate towards the nation’s independence from the British Empire.
Looking at the issue of personhood during this time is even more important because the history of America and the foundation in which our country has been built upon is centered on the idea of personhood. When the Atlantic world was heavily involved with the slave trade, our nation was also active in building the foundation of the country. Basic political concepts such as the public good, individual equality and liberty were the center of the colonial Americans' debate towards the nation’s independence from the British Empire.
The Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776 by our forefathers says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” and we are “endowed by [our] Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” and these rights are to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These ideas of people--human beings—having certain rights written within this document still rings true into the 21st century and are valued among us as people in present times. President Barack Obama said in his 2009 Inaugural speech, “We the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents.”
However, these founding documents were written by white Anglo-Americans empowering those much greater than the lower classes, and at this time enslaved Africans were completely excluded from the system. Slaves were forced to remain under ‘personhood-denied’ condition; they lived without natural human rights and this was “the central paradox of American history” (American Slavery, American Freedom, 1975).
The goal of our website is to dive deeper into this topic of personhood, as it still affects us today. We wish to share ideas and thoughts, igniting vibrant discussions to expand our learning with people who are interested in slavery, personhood, and its effects in the 18th and 19th centuries.
However, these founding documents were written by white Anglo-Americans empowering those much greater than the lower classes, and at this time enslaved Africans were completely excluded from the system. Slaves were forced to remain under ‘personhood-denied’ condition; they lived without natural human rights and this was “the central paradox of American history” (American Slavery, American Freedom, 1975).
The goal of our website is to dive deeper into this topic of personhood, as it still affects us today. We wish to share ideas and thoughts, igniting vibrant discussions to expand our learning with people who are interested in slavery, personhood, and its effects in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Our Project: A More Detailed Description
The 16th century through the 19th century was a
world of interconnectedness among nations.
European countries became keys Atlantic traders with the New
World, Asia, the Caribbean, and Brazil during this time, and the Atlantic Ocean became one of the fundamental tools for enabling the
act of trade among those nations in what
later became the transatlantic trade. The
transatlantic trade was a later expression of a slowly evolving commercial and
colonizing enterprise within the Atlantic.
By the 18th century, Atlantic trade as a whole had become the “most
advantageous and most abundant source of wealth” to participating European
countries (Fergus 1).
The Atlantic trade had become an enormous success by the mid-18th and early 19th centuries, and by this time African slaves too were an extremely prominent part of the trade among these nations (Fergus 1). Slave trading was merely a continuation of the economic and colonizing enterprise of the Atlantic world. The early slave trade was influenced from the new capitalism of the Mediterranean (Fergus 4). The act of slave trading became the origin of an Atlantic world order—Slavery became the most distinct defining features for the Atlantic World (Fergus 2).
Slavery and the bondage of people can be traced all the way back to the earliest of civilizations, but the time of the 18th and early 19th centuries when slavery was at its peak in the Atlantic world was a particularly dark period of human history (Stern 1). A majority of African slaves were a part of the triangular trade route between Americas, Europe, and Africa. The journey from Africa to the New World, also known as the Middle Passage, was particularly brutal. After being kidnapped from their homes, Africans were chained together, confined under the decks of cramped ships, and taken across the Atlantic to the New World where they were forced into slavery. Africans slaves were stripped of lives, freedom, identities, and personhood. Not every slave underwent the Middle Passage; many were born into slavery, but the experience of being enslaved by Europeans and Anglo-Americans was a common one that African slaves shared as a people.
African slaves were often seen as savages, and others saw them as animals. In some cases, Africans were even treated as mere objects. Europeans made enslaved Africans an inexpensive source of labor for the plantations, and further, a form of property, a useful commodity as slaves were frequently used in a variety of business transactions. They were objects, property, and currency rather than human beings. The estimated values of slaves were calculated into the value of the plantation owner’s estate, and were a source of tax revenue for local governments. Profits, as well as a rich and comfortable lifestyle in Europe, were all built upon the enslavement of Africans. They were forced to live in a violent environment where they were forced to endure intense labor with no reward and meager rations while dealing daily with uncertainties under the overseer’s control. Africans were not considered human in the eyes of Europeans.
In the case of the Zong slave ship, sailors discovered there was not enough water to last the duration of the journey across the Atlantic ocean. In this situation, the crew tossed 142 African slaves overboard, all of whom drowned. After the sailors returned to Britain, the Zong’s owners filed an insurance claim for their lost property—the drowned African slaves. An ensuing legal case followed, raising questions in the Atlantic World: were the Africans on the Zong murdered? Is it murder if they weren’t human? Were they human beings, or property, or both? Weren’t slaves considered inhuman?
Africans were not considered human, but they were not considered strictly inhuman either. The questions raised by the Zong is just one example of the middle category between human and inhuman that Africans fell into--para-humanity.
The gray area of para-humanity in the Atlantic World created an interesting dilemma for Anglo-Americans, as the definition of personhood was now redefined completely. Personhood was no longer seen as strictly being a human or being inhuman. The goal of our project is to investigate how personhood was redefined during mid-18th and early 19th centuries due to the birth of para-humanity, and how those definitions actively took shape in the lives of the African slaves who were categorized as such.
Africans were not considered human, but they were not considered strictly inhuman either. The questions raised by the Zong is just one example of the middle category between human and inhuman that Africans fell into--para-humanity.
The gray area of para-humanity in the Atlantic World created an interesting dilemma for Anglo-Americans, as the definition of personhood was now redefined completely. Personhood was no longer seen as strictly being a human or being inhuman. The goal of our project is to investigate how personhood was redefined during mid-18th and early 19th centuries due to the birth of para-humanity, and how those definitions actively took shape in the lives of the African slaves who were categorized as such.
About Us
The writers and creators of this website are (from left to right) Cameron Vandenboom, Casey Reep, Jamie Clark, and Sasha Thomas. This project was put together in 2013 in an undergraduate multimedia research project at North Carolina State University. We have all graduated with our BA since then. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact us through the form on the right.
|
|