American History: Change in People's Moral Consciousness

Throughout history, there have been groups of people that were forced to relocate, assimilate, and serve as slaves; however, none was ever so successful in creating a long-lasting legacy than the transatlantic slave trade. The transatlantic slave trade was the single largest forced migration to American and worldwide history. Even though the benefits that major powers obtained through the trading of the enslaved African people are innumerable, it is important to bring light to the effects that the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade had on the colonies to further understand the legacy that this ban of the slave trade had in the turning point of American history. The transatlantic slave trade ban brought on increase support for the anti-slavery initiative that would change America in years to come and the illegal importations of African people into the American colonies and this turn in American history our hope for the future.

The termination of this human trafficking system was a complex process that took almost a whole century to full abolish throughout the world. Records from societies around the globe demonstrate that the slave trade was an acceptable institution “as slavery itself” dating back to the fifteenth century when the Portuguese began exploring the coasts of Africa. The political and social distinctions that pushed to end the human trafficking of the African people emerged in the seventeen and eighteen centuries in European countries. The movement to end the system started with a few individuals and their abolitionist ideas that changed the course of public opinion and influence. During the second half of the eighteen century, Europe was undergoing significant developments that changed the attitude among European intellectuals known as the Enlightenment Era. Encouraged by a fresh outlook and confidence, the traditional ideas and ways of governing were challenged. As historian David Brion Davis states, “The emergence of an international anti-slavery opinion represented a momentous turning point in the evolution of man’s moral perception.” After the 1760s, more and more individuals condemned slavery as a system that needed to be abolished. The rising abolitionists were able to convince the British public and officials that free labor was superior to slave labor. While the British managed to abolish slave trade, the American states clamored for more slaves leading to nations who traded Africans to increase their importation of illegal slaves to the colonies complicating the ending of the Transatlantic slave trade in its entirety.

The transatlantic slave trade ban posed great difficulties in regard to the passing and enforcement of the ban due to the extensive profits that major power obtained from the trade. Although this may be true, Denmark was the first nation to ban the slave trade from 1792 and soon nations like Britain and the United States followed suit. This marked the beginning of a long thirty-three years to stop the traffic of slaves and as a result, the inflow of Africans into the Americas was primarily from violations to laws after it was outlawed. Even after the abolition of the trade in Britain and America in 1808, the annual shipments of Africans rose to approximately sixty thousand, which is not far from the volume years before the abolishment.

Despite the banning of the African trade, the countries that had taken action eventually had to resort to other methods of enforcing the law. The British, for example, played a key role in preventing the trade by using Royal Navy ships to stop the illegal trade of slaves over the Atlantic alongside French, American, and Portuguese warships. In addition to the naval enforcements in the Atlantic, American states also conducted trials and punishments for

those who “engaged in the illicit introduction of African negroes. . .” facilitating the transportation and commerce of the slaves. Furthermore, the United States passed the Act of 1820 which protected the commerce of the United States and punished the crime of illegal importation of slaves as piracy.

This chapter in history has been forgotten in time but it demands attention when studying American history and its origins. Most individuals often focus on the effects of the start of the trade but what is also important to note is the aftermath of the abolishment of the Transatlantic slave trade. From an economic standpoint to a social standpoint, to a political standpoint, the banning of trade brought left a profound legacy in the evolving civilizations. As people moved from Europe and Africa to the Americas, they spread a variety of concepts. For the Africans who were forcefully moved across the Atlantic to unknown lands, a positive impact is hard to imagine as this trade destroyed links and people down to the core. Human trafficking and other forms of exploitation are still present in modern society (for example, Sudan in northeastern Africa) that is why the Transatlantic slave trade is still relevant to this day.

The journey across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas was a horrendous ordeal that changed the course of history. The initiative that European countries took to ban the slave trade brought upon the idea that it was possible to one day have societies without slaves, which opened doors for new conversations and ideologies that would mark a significant change in not only the world but in the future America as well. In addition, the illicit importation of African people into the Americas increased leading to new laws and enforcements. Had the banning of the trade caused a different outcome, in short term effect there would have been a revolt against the abolishment of the trade. The ideas and beliefs of the time changed constantly and during that century a new era was forming. The rise in greater human confidence and the shifting social mores could have challenged the traditional ways of governing and called for the continuation of the trade. However, with the changing attitude the moral consciousness of people shifted, and it is hard to imagine that individuals would have not condemned slavery as an evil system.