Latin American Slavery

In Latin America slavery was incorporated in a well-established system of the government. It was a tool of exploitation used to provide labor. It should be understood from the onset that slavery was seen as a form of civilization among the Greeks and Romans and even in the society of pre-colonial America. The slave trade was a primary tool of civilization of the ancient societies as it is recorded in the history of civilization. Before the slave trade from Africa to the Latin America, the Arabs from Middle-East and Northern Africa were capturing and trading slaves from Europe and Eastern Africa. Their market extended from Southern Asia to the Far East and beyond Hungary of the present days[1].

            The Spanish and the Portuguese started shipping slaves from Western Africa to Caribbean gold mines and Central America in 1503. These slaves were to replace American slaves who were working on the gold mines. It is this Transatlantic Slave Trade that brought about a new economy in the world[2]. Though not all the parties benefited from this trade, there was an imbalance since it benefitted Europe and North America while it resulted in underdevelopment in Africa and Latin America[3].

            It is estimated that about 13 million slaves were imported to the Latin America. This far much higher number compared to about 500,000 slaves that were sold in the North America. Spanish were notorious in the trade unlike English people who had little interest in the trade. In Virginia colony slaves were treated just as workers but not as property. It was until 1676 when the demand for African slaves started to grow in Latin America, this was brought about by the demand of white indentured workers to be treated like other Englishmen with benefits such as time-off work and fair ration and again these workers could run away[4].Africans were preferred since they could not easily integrate with white community in America. Native Latin Americans were used as slave-catchers[5].

            It is recorded that slavery in Latin America was characterized by the brutality such as torture, rapes, physical force and intimidation. Any slave who could resist orders from his owner was brutally treated. The African and Native American slaves resisted these treatments without risking further torture from their masters. The best ploy they applied was that of sabotaging the labor. They could try to control the production rate so as to cover the weak among themselves from the punishment[6]. They also burnt the stores and abused tools. They could walk park animals off a cliff to some extent. Also, direct resistance against slavery and other forms of exploitation was exercised by slaves. This open rebellion took a form of warfare, in 1620 the Virginia colony was at the verge of overthrow, when Americans’ slaves waged war against American tribes. This war used tactics of biological warfare and mass killing of children and women. Native American slaves were used to fight in wars between Frenchmen and Englishmen[7].

            Slaves preferred to flee as their best method of resistance, this form of resistance was rampant among slaves in America. Most of the escapees ran to Native American homes. This was an effective strategy but with time it resulted into rivalry between the colonials and the Native Americans who were accommodating escapees. Although this mode of resistance called for a severe punishment for any recaptured slave, it was popular[8].

            The white colonialists who were the landlords of most land, experienced resistance in form of riots and organized rebellions. Many escapees found refuge among the Indians tribes, and this posed a threat to the colonial leaders. This new society staged rebellion frequently against the colonial power. By the end of the 18^th century, most Africa American slaves had established means of dealing with slavery. They no longer allowed slavery to determine their worth or value. The escapees who were successive in their mission integrated in their host and continued with their life normally. One of the most famous escapees cum agent of freedom is a lady (Harriet Ross). She broke to freedom in 1849. She later sneaked back to her husband who was also a slave. This trip gave her confidence that it was possible to assist others to escape from slavery. In the next 10 years she had rescued about 300 slaves both men and women.

            Among most tactics that were applied by the slave masters to restrain slaves was brain washing. This took a form of religion where the slaves mostly Africa American were forced to believe that their religions were wicked and meaningless. They were trained to believe that their masters had power over their religion. This was to an extent that some masters were worshiped by their subjects.

            In South America, small group of escapees numbering around 50 and mostly comprising males started coming up. These groups sustained themselves by stealing food from local plantations and farming in some secluded forested areas[9]. Mostly, Native Americans were used by the slave drivers in recapturing the escapees. The colonial leaders were determined in elimination of devotees’ activities at any cost, since they posed a threat against their existence. More significantly, while most newly arrived escapees tended to escape in group. An American born escapee ran as individual and did not interact with other Africans who escaped. This was as a result of brain washing by their masters. Most of these ex-slaves found habitation around Dismal Swamp. They were about 2,000 slavery escapees. Their relief came in when the Spanish contested for control of West Florida from the British[10].

Spanish offered them freedom and allowed them to integrate with Native Americans. It is with the assistance of this freed slave that America won its independence. Among the earliest acts of rebellion against slavery was the Stono Rebellion. In 1739, a group of about 20 slaves in Carolina met at River Stono to plan strategies of a demonstration. It is during their riot that they stole weapons from a store. They staged their protest in Florida, one of the well-established refuges for slavery escapees. They were joined with more insurgents in their march, there they left behind them a trail of burnt plantations and even managed to kill several whites. However, their effort came to a dead end when they were attacked by a militia mounted by the slave masters who killed about 40 black slaves and ended the rebellion[11]. Religion also motivated racial violence in Virginia, where groups of organized slaves killed white farmers. The rebellion towards freedom for slaves in America did not only result in success but also paved way to American independence[12]. 

Religion also motivated racial violence in Virginia, where groups of organized slaves killed white farmers. The rebellion towards freedom for slaves in America did not only result in success but also paved a way to American independence. The Mexico’s path to independence was the same as that of other Spanish America parts with imperial uprise of the early 1800. This imperial uprise charged political atmosphere in Spain and generated a new form of political mind. As time passed by a revolved political culture was nurtured, this led to independence. There existed two aspects of emancipation in the country. The first one was the politicization and the other was militarization. The cobative struggle started in the early 1800, this opened the path to a front of militarization the later did not end with the attainment of independence. Spanish Empire was legitimately establishment was disntegrated at the same time as when the French attacked the Iberian Peninsula.

            The struggle( politically and combat wise) in Iberian was significant for the attainment of the independence. The American adopted guerrilas war tactics that was formerly practiced by the Spanish. The Spanish took over the government and created new laws and institutions. The slaves’ customs were not completely eruded by the new ways of live in the slavery. Althogh, most of the slaves were coverted to Christians, they continued to practice their old worshipping ways. They may have lost their instruments of worship but the virtue of worship was still in them. Though their stories were forgotten and time to sing was no longer available, the memories for these things were still intertwined in their mind. David George one of the educated runaway slave was permitted to open a church at the southern part of Carolina. It became a great encouragement to the other slaves that escaped from Lord Dunmore. When the war came to an end, George went to Western Africa and started a churh, he was in a company of some slaves who were going back home. These were among the first slaves to return to their motherland.

            In the Northern Philadelphia the first church was founded and led by a slave escapee in 1792, his fellow black American worshippers were harrased by the goverment but they endured all this to a point that their mission succeed. This effort marked the beginning of religion freedom for those slaves who survived the physical slavery.