trade – U.S. to 1877

September 9, 2013

Week Three Reading

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One of the points I found most interesting in this week’s reading came in the first few pages of the chapter. David Brion Davis discusses, for a few lines, the term “black” itself. He cuts the moral complexity of European colonization and African slavery down to a single word. While this is certainly not all encompassing, a closer look at the racial label is representative of larger issues and discussions of the topic. Davis brings up “depictions of black demons, devils, and torturers” that were common in Europe when the term was introduced. Thus, through the labeling of the victims of their racial subjugation as black, Europeans were “creating a perception of the ultimate Outsiders.” Modern conversations about race still discuss the use of “black” as a racial identification. While some argue for the use of the term African American as more politically correct alternative, others feel that this separates black Americans from their national identity by also linking them to Africa. Regardless, this still leaves a gap in labeling people of non-African origin and non-Americans. This is also relevant to our discussion in class of the labeling of Native Americans as Indians or American Indians. The fundamental issue in these labels, both black and Native American, is that white Europeans imposed them upon a group of people in order to differentiate them from themselves, the white elite. Although Davis only touches on this issue briefly, it is a fascinating one that is as relevant today as it was in Medieval Europe.

In addition, Davis’ discussion of the changes that European workers underwent as a result of the Atlantic slave trade reminded me of Sylvia’s post from last week. She talked about history as multiple story lines, not simply as one person or group’s experience. The fact that European workers changed their wage expectations and workplace standards because they desired New World products made available by the slave trade is a unique perspective on the issue. Slavery did not only affect the Africans kidnapped from their homes and the white masters in the Americas. It also changed the way people lived in Europe.

September 9, 2013

Week 3 Chapter 4 and 5

This being the first non-American Colonies reading assigned, I found the change in perspective extremely refreshing. The author brought the issue of slavery in the American colonies to a much more grandiose scale, comparing it with instances of human domination which occurred in Europe’s past and describing how these instances created the social climate which allowed for the mass trafficking of African Slaves. One unique argument made by Davis in chapter 4 was that if it could have ever become culturally Legitimate, Europeans colonizers would have enslaved the vagabonds and criminals within Europe and avoided the expense of Trafficking from Africa all together.

Although I’m sure that all of us have have heard a description of the conditions which slaves were shipped to America in, the one put forth in Inhuman Bondage resonated with me and projected a lasting image by prefacing the few details put forth with a sentence stating that no human words can describe the horror of the transport vessels, and that only the Holocaust and Roman Slavery were even on par.

Davis also does an excellent job of outlining the details of the trade, such as the route which slaves were taken and their various stops which connect to create an extremely complex mass transit system developed by the Europeans, especially in the New World, where control was constantly being lost and gained. The nature of these two chapters show a complexity and denseness which is not found in American Colonies, but does an effective job of describing a horrific system which played an incredibly significant role in the development of the colonies.

Davis also makes MUCH more effective use of maps.

September 1, 2013

Chapters 3 & 5 Reading

Taylor aims to show the more complex side of early American life and not display it so one-sided as many other accounts do. Robbie notes in his post that, Taylor recognizes many groups of people contributed to the colonization of America, not just Europeans, but Natives and Africans, too. I agree with Robbie’s point that the history of America “cannot be developed through a single story line,” because there are too many different groups of people that contributed to the colonization of the New World to only focus on one. More importantly, the path the English took to colonize hinged on the actions of the other European colonizers and the Indians. Taylor forces his readers to consider that the Natives are not always weak and subordinate, and the Europeans do not always easily conquer and colonize.

For example, Taylor portrays the French as more of a tool of the Natives instead of the other way around, as I previously would think. Once the French and Indians established a trade of furs and European goods, the Indians began to dominate the exchange. They “became adept at driving a hard bargain” and when they received higher payment for their furs, the Indians became lazier with their work, while the French still had to hunt and fish to supply the trade (Taylor 97). The French, in starting trade relations with different Indian tribes, were also forced into an unspoken alliance with these tribes. As a result, the Indians expected the French to help in intertribal wars, and the French had to deal with their own casualties as the enemy Indians attacked French villages in retaliation.

In his account of the history of New Spain, Taylor is thorough in his descriptions of the failures of this colonization, not just its successes. While many Spaniards, like tailor Diego de San Lorente, thought they would have a life of riches in Mexico, most early Spanish settlements failed. Eventually, the Spanish began to establish more successful towns and develop strong military protection. Taylor still mentions, however, the opinion of the Spanish king’s prime minister in 1631, who questioned whether the difficulties that came with New World colonization actually strengthened the Spanish empire or only made the homeland weaker (Taylor 66).

Taylor writes one of the more powerful accounts of early American history because he does not write solely from the perspective of the successful European colonizers. He notes the powerful role some Indians did have at the time, details the many failures of the first colonizers, and makes readers notice that the early days of colonization created cultural conflicts that still exist in our country.