Colombia and the Slave Trade:
Slavery in the Atlantic World began when Europeans saw the endless opportunities of riches there could be obtained in the New World. Slave ships were bringing in thousands upon thousands of African slaves to the new land for free labor. Slave ports were set up all across South America, but Cartagena was designated as an official port of the Spanish fleet system in 1537, and it would become the largest single port of slave debarkation in the Spanish Americas. Over 1.1 million African slaves came through the port of Cartagena in total. From port records that we have, we know that 463 slave ships arriving in Cartagena between 1573 and 1640 that disgorged more than 73,000 enslaved Africans, according to the port records. Many more were smuggled in as well, so an exact number is difficult to say. What we do know is that Cartagena was the central location in South America for slaves to come in on ships, and that Cartagena received more than sixty percent of all the 400,000+ African slaves that were brought to Nueva Granada.
Cartagena:
The Spanish were in control of the region of Colombia during the Atlantic Slave Trade. The Spanish differed from other countries in the way they operated the slave trade. The Spanish would send over considerably larger numbers of slaves than other European countries, such as the English, the Dutch, and the French. The Spanish had their version of the slave trade down to a science, which was exactly what they wanted. The goal of the Spanish was to make the most profit that they possibly could off of African slavery. It was the most profitable business they had at the time. Cartagena was the central point of the auctioning of African slaves. Buyers came from all over South America to buy slaves at Cartagena. The port served as a great quarantine site for arriving ships carrying sickly slaves with disease. These diseases were looked at very seriously by Europeans because the main disease that would be present is smallpox, and smallpox spreads very quickly and at this time there was really nothing that could be done for you besides to just have your immune system fight the disease off. So if a slave were to get sick, this could affect Spanish profit and they would do inhumane things to slaves to keep their business as profitable as possible.
The Labor System:
When the Spanish first started colonizing the New World, they used a system of labor called the encomienda. In the encomienda, the Spanish would grant someone with a specific number of natives, and indigenous leaders were to be responsible for assessing for the tribute of labor. In return, the Spanish promised to give the natives protection from other tribes or people. However, when the slave trade came about, the labor system changed. Slaves were auctioned off and whomever purchased that slave is where that slave would go. Most slaves would be fed enough to survive and keep their stamina up so they could continue to work for their masters. Many African slaves ended up working on sugar cane plantations, farms, and in gold mines.
Citations:
Landers, Jane, et al. “Researching the History of Slavery in Colombia and Brazil through Ecclesiastical and Notarial Archives.” From Dust to Digital: Ten Years of the Endangered Archives Programme, edited by Maja Kominko, 1st ed., Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK, 2015, pp. 259–292. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt15m7nhp.20. Accessed 1 Mar. 2020.
“The Slave Trade at Its Height.” The Atlantic Slave Trade in World History, Dec. 2015, pp. 67–104., doi:10.4324/9781315732299-4.
I learned a lot by reading your post! I did not realize Cartagena was such a popular port for slave disembarkation. Something that is interesting to me is the time period in which they traded most of these slaves. As you mentioned, there were 73,000 African slaves that were brought to Cartagena between the years 1573 and 1740. This is interesting because I found that when looking at the slave database, the greatest volume of slave trade was in the late 18th century. Therefore, it seems that the Spanish were, in a sense, ahead of the game, and one of the first major groups to participate in slave trade. I am writing about Jamaica, and in that particular colony, the Spanish did not import many slaves at all. It was not until the late 17th century that the English actually began to import most of the slaves. Part of the reason for this is because the Spanish viewed the island as markedly unimportant in contrast with many of its other colonies. Therefore since the Spanish imported such a large quantity of slaves to Cartagena, it must have been very valuable to them.
ReplyDeleteI have always viewed slavery as a whole to be an unfortunate but fascinating institution. The concept of dehumanizing a man, woman, or child simply to profit, I believe, tells a much larger story about the psychology of man. To be specific, forced servitude and the harsh conditions of the enslaved is a horrendous display of greed. The fact that the Spanish had slavery, as said in your post, “down to a science” is shockingly abhorrent. One could only imagine the mental conditions of the soon-to-be African workers who were taken, or sometimes sold, away from their homes and forcefully stuffed into ships. Perhaps they imagined that the conclusion of their voyage would be one of resolution and peace. Regardless of what they envisioned, for the rest of their years they would be the victims of one the greatest injustices imaginable. I truly do believe, though, the worst of it all was the fact that actual human beings were degraded to sub-human tools solely because of the opportunity to gain wealth. Thank you for providing insight on the systematic cruel Spanish slave trade!
ReplyDeleteVery good blog as usual Taylor. I liked how you provided a very brief yet direct and specific insight of the African- Spanish slave trade. I also liked how you were able to find exact documented numbers of slaves from the data base...It is amazing how so many bodies were transported over years in methods which fall below human standards, whether looking at todays standards or those of back then. keep up the good work, Taylor. Looking forward to read more of your blogs
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