Western civilization.The Atlantic slave trade,protestant revival and Essay

Western civilization.The Atlantic slave trade,protestant revival and the two revolutions - Essay Example Atlantic Slave Trade was a direct consequence of the practice of slavery that existed in Medieval Europe and the colonial world. With the discovery of the Americas, slavery and slave trade became more pervasive since the European colonists needed cheap labor. Atlantic Slave Trade was a trade phenomenon that started during the 16th century. The Portuguese were the pioneers of this trade system. Soon, several European powers followed the techniques and trade routes of the Portuguese. Slave trade began to flourish rapidly as the European powers were rivaling each other to establish vast overseas colonial empires. Discussion As Christopher Columbus had discovered the New World, Europeans began to migrate towards the West in the search of fortune. They gathered in the North and South Americas and rapidly annihilated the native peoples. In this way, communities like Sioux Indians, Incas, Aztecs, Red Indians, etc. were cornered. Now, the European settlers needed to clear the forests, create towns and cities, and exploit the natural resources of the new found continents. Hence they needed cheap labor. (McKay et al, 2011) Europeans were colonizing in Africa too and had defeated the Arabs on a number of occasions. Hence, they carried on their imperial expansion across Africa and conquered several countries. Here, they captured and/or kidnapped large numbers of Africans and enslaved them. These slaves were transported as merchandise units to the New World so that they could be used as cheap labor for plantations, agriculture, clearing the forests and several jobs like that. Hence, it can be deduced that the reasons for both the beginning and success of Atlantic Slave Trade were the same: The theory of demand and supply. The innocent Africans were carried away from the present day countries like Sierra Leon, Senegal, Nigeria, etc. and used as bonded labors throughout their lives. Along with this, they were subjected to horrible torture and life conditions by their masters, who mostly neglected even their minimum well being. Freed slaves like Olaudah Equiano later came out with the accounts of these atrocities. Direct and indirect experiences about the tortures meted out to the African slaves started to build opinion against slave trade among the Europeans and White Americans themselves. Ultimately, humanitarian people in Europe and America abolished slavery and slave trade in a step by step manner by the end of 19th century. (McKay et al, 2011) Conclusion Atlantic Slave Trade was one of the most heinous crimes of world history. According to McKay et al (2011), â€Å"The Atlantic slave trade grew enormously as colonial plantations used slaves to produce commodities for trade.† Yet, it should be kept in mind that the Europeans and colonists themselves came forward to abolish it. First, the British Empire declared slavery illegal and then the American Civil War delivered the death blow to this practice. Thus, â€Å"public outcry at slaveryâ€⠄¢s horrors† (McKay et al, 2011) was the main reason behind the decline of Atlantic Slave Trade. Question 2 Pick one group in the â€Å"Protestant Revival† and talk about the aims, ideas, goals, and people behind it in 300-500 words. Answer Introduction Protestantism had originated in Medieval Europe. Thinkers and reformers like Martin Luther began the Protestant Movement, which primarily aimed to establish the right of the common people to learn and understand religion with more openness, freedom, and humane values. The European immigrants to America brought these ideas from Europe and looked for religious emancipation in the New World too. During the middle of 18th century, the First Great Awakening of Protestant Revival took place that was going to change