Matthew Liivoja<\/p>\n

HIST 410<\/p>\n

Prof. Shrout<\/p>\n

Week 4: Spaces, Ships, and Slavery Reading Response<\/p>\n

The voyage of the slaves was not a trip to a new beginning. It was towards a life of misery and a seemingly hopeless future. The author Stephanie Smallwood wrote how the slave ships were crammed with Africans and the white sailors had to the duty of keeping them locked below deck. But, more importantly, the sailors actually had relationships with their \u201ccargo\u201d. Stephanie wrote how the most powerful ships were the ones with \u201csocial relationships (Smallwood, 681).\u201d In one way, I agree with her in the sense that the power of camaraderie between guardians and slaves can be the must powerful weapon because it brings people together and forms bonds.<\/p>\n

This camaraderie came to my attention when one crewman actually trained a slave how to \u201cuse the ship’s cannons and his victory from an attacking vessel (Smallwood, 682-683).\u201d That kind of friendship actually took me by surprise because I always thought slaves were treated like animals in all circumstances. As a result, most other previous descriptions and accounts of these preconceived notions are wrong. So, this proves there was some human relationship between the Europeans and the slaves. Smallwood also wrote how male slaves were unshackled once out at sea, proving life aboard a slave ship had some form of freedom. A freedom the slaves took tremendous advantage of.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, Smallwood’s article of the social control exhibited on the slave ships demonstrates how we originally thought slave treatment was cruel when in some cases like that of the Will<\/em> in 1799 with Capt. Hugh Cook relying on a slave artilleryman for defense. Her use of evidence on the number of guardians and the letters sent to the shipping companies are great sources for what actually happened during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. All in all, relationships between Europeans and Slaves were the driving force of power of this time in Atlantic history.<\/p>\n

Smallwood, Stephanie. \u201cAfrican Guardians, European Slave Ships and the Changing Dynamics of Power in the Early Modern Atlantic\u201d in The William and Mary Quarterly<\/em> 64, No. 4, (Oct. 2007): 679-716.<\/p>\n

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