Something that I think is important to remember is what economic forces drove slavery. Early on, most slaves were used for mining or as part of the encomienda system (a kind of feudal tributary system with Spanish encomenderos ruling over Native Americans). These slaves were largely Native American because it was easiest to draw labor from near by and the available population largely met the labor demand. Also, the encomienda system fit nicely with the tribute systems already in place in many meso-american societies (although the Spanish drove these systems to an obscene conclusion). This system eventually failed for the reasons you point out.
I think there is a fourth reason for the decline of Native American enslavement. Tribute and mining were no longer seen to be as lucrative as they once were. The real money in colonization was seen as sugar. And this commodity, which required extensive labor, was the major force behind slavery. When you look at where slaves were sent, the biggest destinations were Brazil, Cuba, and other big sugar producers. But by the time the sugar industry picked up, Native American slaves could not meet the labor demands, while African slaves could be easily bought from West Africa for guns, steel, and other goods.
As you mention, many West African states were already players in the slave trade but it wasn't until sugar exploded that there was a European demand for these slaves. Initially, European traders were most interested in extracting gold (this may have been due in part to mercantilism and similar economic theories at the time). Take for example the Gold Coast, which was originally named for its gold mines and gold trade, but by the 1800s hosted one of the biggest slave castles at Elmina (the mine).
Answer:
The author's purpose in writing this article is to elucidate the tragic and vicious manner in which Japan committed a genocide on the Chinese nation. The author wrote, " But what was exorbitant -and terrifying- about the Second Sino Japanese war were the heinous crimes committed by the Japanese military which reached depths of depravity unmatched in modern warfare." This shows that the crimes committed by the Japanese were heinous and the author detailed most of them.
Explanation:
This CommonLit article by Mike Kubic provides an insight into the atrocities committed by the Japanese nation on China from the late 1800's to 1945. These atrocities show the ease with which young minds can be easily influenced to hate a whole people and inflict harm on them. The author of the article vividly described the manner in which these crimes were committed.
Japanese attack was spurred by just hatred of the Chinese nation and a greed for the resources of other nations to motivate their own agenda. They were only stopped after the attack of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In the year 2012, the history of Black Philadelphians still remains little known to most Americans. I am hopeful that the creation of the current site on William Still, made possible through by a federal Save America’s Treasures Grant administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Temple University Libraries, will be an educational tool for teachers, students and the general public to examine the rich history of African Americans. Among the many original manuscripts in the Blockson Collection are the letters of William Still. In one letter that William Still wrote to his daughter dated August 13, 1867, he writes that he is, “reading Macaulay’s History of England with great interest,” and that he intends “to write the History of the U.G.R.R. “ He continued, “I must do a good deal of reading and thinking in order to be able to write well. I may commence my book this fall some time.” His book, The Underground Railroad, was published in 1872. His book was a major inspiration for my research and writing. In the following essay, I would like to share some history related to The Underground Railroad, William Still and Black Philadelphians that I discovered during my many years of research.
During my research, I found a family connection between my family and the Still family. Our family relationship extends almost 170 years. I learned after contacting the National Archives for information on William N. Blockson, the son of Leah Blockson, my great-grandmother. William married Henrietta G. Still of Philadelphia on July 4, 1869 and that she was the daughter of William Still’s brother . When the William Still Collection was donated to the Blockson Collection by the Still family, I was surprised to learn that William Still was also one of the antebellum black collectors and bibliophiles along with Robert Purvis, Dr. Robert Campbell, Isaiah C. Wears, William Carl Bolivar, William Whipper, and John S. Durham. Clarence Still, the present patriarch of the Still family, bestowed me with the position of honorary chairman of the Annual Still Day Family Reunion, held for over 140 years in Lawnside, New Jersey, once known as Snow Hill. During one of the reunions, more than three hundred descendants of William Still and his brothers gathered around me and sung a song that I wrote in my 1983 book entitled the “Ballad of the Underground Railroad".
By the year 1984, I had spent more than 40 years conducting research and writing about the mystery, hope and terror associated with the Underground Railroad. That year, National Geographic published my article in its July issue. The article, entitled “Escape from Slavery: The Underground Railroad” brought attention to its significant role in African resistance to slavery. I wrote about my grandfather’s narrative to me.
I hope this helped! :)
