The Role of Religion in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Essay

The Role of Religion in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade - Essay Example The researcher states that in the Americas, the European masters claimed that it was through Christianity that the African slaves would be compliant to their rule but the unkind treatment of the slaves which led to many deaths illustrates how religion was used to justify the economic interests of the traders and the consequences of the trade. This paper gives a critical analysis of the role of religion in the development of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade in relation to the capture, domestication, and control of the African slaves from Africa to the Americas. Transatlantic Slave Trade The Trans-Atlantic slave trade took place from the 16th to the 19th centuries across the Atlantic Ocean. Slaves from the west and central Africa were traded between Africans and slave traders from Europe. The European then shipped the slaves across the Atlantic to South and North America. In the Americas, the slaves were forced to work in the British colonies. The slavery involved forced labor in the pla ntation of tobacco, coffee, cotton, cocoa, and sugar. Moreover, the slaves were forced to work in silver and gold mines. Some slaves also worked as servants while others toiled in the construction industry and rice fields. The British, Portuguese, Americans, the Dutch, the Spanish and the French were involved in the slave trade. The local tribal leaders in the West and Central Africa sold the slaves to the slave traders. The beginning of the trans-Atlantic slave trade was motivated by religious factors. The influence of Bartolome de las Casas, who was a Spanish missionary of the Catholic Church led to the replacement of the Amerindians in America's labor force with Africans. When Christopher Columbus arrived in the west, he encountered the Amerindians who were the natives in the Americas. The Amerindians provided hard labor in the western plantation. The settlement of the Spanish in this area was motivated by the need to find gold. The determination of the Spanish led to forced labo r on the Amerindians in search of gold. Many Amerindians died as a result of the harsh treatment in the forced labor. However, most of the Amerindians died out of the attack of epidemic diseases. The significant reduction in the number of Amerindians and the disputed harsh treatment of the Amerindians is what gave birth to the transatlantic trade because Africans were targeted as the replacement of the Amerindians as slave workers in the Americas. The Role of Religion The Trans-Atlantic trade is known for the inhumane treatment of slaves and the forced labor which they were forced to provide in the Americas. The happenings during the trade are usually referred as the conquest of the Americas. This conquest led to a great loss of human life and destruction of African cultures. Religion played a significant role in this trade as illustrated by the different religious backgrounds of the slave traders in the transatlantic slave trade. The European for example entered Africa as a way of spreading the Christian religion to the local people. On the other hand, the Muslim Arabs who were involved in the slave trade were motivated by the need to convert as many people as possible to the Islamic religion.