The famous Canadian psychiatrist Jordan Peterson defines evil as a human’s ability to cause suffering for the sake of suffering (Peterson 89). Building on this definition, slavery, a system in which people become property, counts among some of the evilest crimes against humanity. Probably, the most tragic event in the history of slavery was the Atlantic, or transatlantic, slave trade that involved the transportation of enslaved Africans to the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries. Slavery often seems to be an aberration of the past: a forgotten page in the world history book that does not pose an interest to the general public anymore. This essay argues that the legacy of Transatlantic slavery lives to this day.
First and foremost, the three-century slave trade had detrimental effects in West Africa. Westerners provided economic incentives for warlords and tribes to comply with their interests and willingly engage in the slave trade. As a result, the actions of the leaders demoralized the population: they promoted violence, lawlessness, and disorder (Nunn 38). Depopulation conflicts with settlers, and fear of slavery staggering economic and agricultural development in western Africa. In the main country of destination, the United States, Black people still experience the ramifications of the Translatlantic slave trade (Nunn 40). Despite the abolishment of anti-Black laws, American society has yet to get rid of racism and discrimination.
In summation, slavery can be defined as the ownership of people by other people and is considered to be one of the worst crimes against humanity. The Transatlantic slave trade that took place between the 16th and the 19th centuries removed Africans from their homelands and brought them to the Americas against their will. The events of the slave trade cannot be dismissed as a matter of the past because their legacy lives on. For Africa, depopulation and captivity had a stifling effect on development while for the United States, the racist past fueled the discriminatory public sentiment and power dynamics of today.
Works Cited
Nunn, Nathan. “Understanding the Long-Run Effects of Africa’s Slave Trades.” The Long Economic and Political Shadow of History, Vol. 2, 2017, pp. 36-47.
Peterson, Jordan B. 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. Random House Canada, 2018.