Slavery in Brazil - 3556 Words

Edmund Burke, the acclaimed author and philosopher once said, â€Å"Slavery is a weed that grows on every soil.† Between the 16th and 19th century in the Americas, millions on millions of slaves were brought to the New World. There purpose was to work. The economy of most European colonies in America was dependent on slaves. The land that was discovered in Americas was useless with out sufficient slave labor to exploit it. In this essay, I will focus on two nations where slavery played an enormous role in the development of that country. First, The United States, where in 1860 in South Carolina over 50 percent of the population were slaves. Next, Brazil, the nation where about one third of all salves from Africa were brought. In this essay I†¦show more content†¦Another popular triangular route taken was ships from the U.S colonies would take rum and other products to Africa in exchange for Slaves. From there, the slaves were taken to Brazil and the Caribbean and sold for profit or sold for sugar and molasses to take back to the U.S where then the sugar and molasses was sold to rum makers. In general, the slave trade was horrific and inhumane, however, it is the reason that the U.S and Brazil were able to maintain a steady economy. Although there were many similarities between the Brazilian slaves and the U.S slaves, there were quite a few specific differences as well. One of the largest differences in slavery between Brazil and the U.S was demographic. Generally speaking, the Brazilian slaves were usually decreasing while the U.S slaves were usually increasing. This is due to several reasons. First, the Brazilians had a much lower proportion of female slaves compared to the U.S who had an equal sex ratio. In Brazil, due to the lack of female slaves, they had a much lower birth rate then the U.S did. Both the death rate and suicide rate was also higher in Brazil compared to the U.S. Due to the low birthrate and the high death rate, Brazil had tr ouble to maintain a population resulting in having to continuously import slaves. On the other hand, the average number of children born to an early 19th century U.S slave woman was 9.2; this is twice as many as Brazil and the Caribbean. All these reasons are why BrazilShow MoreRelatedThe Abolition of Slavery in Brazil1102 Words   |  5 PagesThe Abolition of Slavery in Brazil, 13 May 1888 Next year sees the 120th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Brazil. Some contemporary writers saw the period as an horrific maltreatment of our fellow human beings while others saw through this and viewed the patriarchal and familial advantages that society, especially slaves received. Whichever way one sees it, the period before its abolition saw a huge boost in Brazil’s economy, mainly down to its vast manpower – 37% of all African slavesRead MoreSlavery and The Tropicalia Movement in Brazil1025 Words   |  4 Pageswere taken from Ghana, Nigeria, Angola, Congo and Mozambique to be forced into slavery in Brazil’s sugar plantations and mining industries. The slave trade was eradicated in 1850, and by 1871 the Brazilian legislature passed the Law of the Free Womb. This law was designed to grant freedom to slave’s newborn children and served as a precursor to the abolition of slavery in 1888. They made home for themselves in Brazil, as it had the l argest amount of African diaspora. 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Slavery in Brazil has been debated by historians since abolition. Scholars have argued over the treatment of slaves, the extensiveness of slave use, and the slave trade. The arguments made by historians have changed throughoutRead MoreReligious Practices Of Afric an Culture Essay1405 Words   |  6 PagesAmericas through the practice of healing, Sweet presents some evidence that indicate the influence that the practice of African healing had in colonial Brazil. In this brief analysis, I will discuss two aspects of that evidence, one in the system of slavery, and two in the practice of religion. Sweet tells us that in colonial Brazil, slavery was the backbone of the economy, particularly in Pernambuco, the place where Domingos first arrive. Eventually, slaves constituted the economic engine†Read MoreAfric A Free Trade Zone984 Words   |  4 Pagesproblem with that, was that it was in the middle of Africa and very difficult to access. 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Before the influx of the Portuguese in 1500, this clanRead MorePast Influences that Marked Brazils Contemporary Society1679 Words   |  7 Pagestheir political power as a united front, instead, the neoliberal belief of market power replacing citizenship power stratified the population based on capital. What all people of Brazil have in common is their citizenship and under the constitution, each citizen is entitled to equal access in the political realm. Brazil attempts to achieve this by requiring everyone to cast an opinion in the form of a vote. â€Å"Citizenship has provided common ground and an articulatory principle for an immense diversityRead MoreAnalysis Of Katia M. De Quieros Mattoso915 Words   |  4 Pages In this engaging book, Katia M. de Quierà ³s Mattoso, one of Brazil’s most well-known social historians gives the general reader with an overall summary of slavery in Brazil, from the beginning of captivity until the end of a slave’s life. The notable difference between this book and others on Brazilian slavery is the viewpoint the author gives from the eyes of a slave, humanizing a topic that is usually referred to as an though it were business rather than an oppressed mass of human beings. OriginallyRead MoreAfrican Slave Trade1029 Words   |  5 Pagesdependent on Africans† only after relying on white indentured servants and Native American labour first. Some American colonies, the source writes, even never used African labour. These are three facts the source lists to prove that Africanization of slavery in the Americas was not inevitable. B: Source D is portraying the effect of Atlantic slave trade on Africa, Europe and only North America. The cartoon depicts a pile of gold stacked on the continent of Europe and North America, and African is shown