How Did The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Change Over Time

Although some may say that since the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade from 1450-1800’s slavery has changed or ended, it really has stayed the same due to modern forms of slavery such as, bonded labor, sex trafficking, and child labor that still exist. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade was developed by the existing system of slave trade in African Kingdoms. Demand and need for more slaves lead to active participation in obtaining slaves by African Kingdoms. European explorers found slavery as a popular custom with advantages in many countries, which influenced Europe to make slavery a strong trade and monetary investment to its colonies. Therefore, in 1441 Europe started trading slaves in Africa. “From about 1500 to about 1865, millions of Africans
were enslaved and transported across the Atlantic by Europeans and Americans as a labour force to work, especially on plantations.” (Slavery Past and Present). There was an economic demand for slavery because the new territories had large plantations, and slaves provide a cheap, sustainable, labor system. The demand then increases greatly with settlements in the Americas. This is why slavery has not ended because it gives the employer a cheap way to produce goods since he/she won’t be paying the workers. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade eventually gained opposition from many governments.
In 1807, the British government passed an Act called the Act of Parliament, which abolished slave trade throughout the British Empire. Then in the U.S., Virginia, in 1778, became the first state to stop the importation of slaves for sale. It made it a crime for someone to bring in a slave from out of state or overseas for sale. The new law freed all slaves brought in illegally, and imposed fines on the violators. Although state and federal governments opposed slavery, it was still perpetuated by individuals. An example would be how Africans use other African slaves for work because that is the only way the slave can pay off a debt, but they never get out of this debt because they don’t get paid with money, but with food and shelter that the person needs, so the debt continues to grow. This is bonded labor, which is one of the forms of modern
slavery. Some major types of modern slavery include: bonded labor, sex trafficking, and child labor.
Bonded labor is the most widespread, but least known kind of slavery. A person becomes a bonded laborer when their labor is used as a repayment for a loan. The person is tricked or trapped into working for very little or no pay. Bonded labor is most prevalent in India along with Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. “Today the International Labour Organisation estimates a minimum 11.7 million people are in forced labour in the Asia-Pacific region, the majority of these are in debt bondage.” (DotMailer). Debt can be inherited or created by the person itself. The person who's in debt works for the person that they owe the money to. However, when working, the debt is impossible to pay back. The person works without actually being paid for the work, and is unable to leave. The person needs food, shelter, and water so the debt grows, making it impossible for it to be paid back. One example is that in India Dolamani Bagh took out a loan from a rich landlord so him and his wife, Mathura, could get married. To repay the loan they both had to do agricultural work on the landlord’s farm for seven years, and their only payment was 8-10 sacks of grain per year. Another example is Bitu and his entire family worked at a brick kiln in rural India. They lived and worked at the kiln and, needing more money to survive, they continually borrowed more money from the owner, which then pushed them further and
further into debt, holding them in bonded labor. Sex trafficking is the illegal business of recruiting, harboring, transporting, obtaining, or providing a person, especially a minor, for the purpose of sex. “In the United States, any minor under the age of 18 engaged in commercial sex acts is automatically considered a victim of sex trafficking under the law. Worldwide, it's estimated that there are 4.5 million victims of sex trafficking.” (Sex Trafficking). The U.S. is a major sex trafficking destination. The victims are often placed in escort services, massage parlors, strip clubs, or hotels. They can also be prostituted on the streets, and be forced to perform pornography. The most common origin of the victims is from Mexico, the Philippines, Thailand, Honduras, Guatemala, India, and El Salvador. Child labor is the use of children in an industry or business, especially when illegal or considered inhumane. “Children were often preferred, because factory owners viewed them as more manageable, cheaper, and less likely to strike.” (Michael Herring). The top three countries for child labor are Eritrea, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. “Today, more than a quarter of the world’s slaves are children.” (Child Labor). Poverty leads these kids into accepting a job, or their parents make them do it to help increase the family’s income. Although there is a lot of different types of modern slavery, there are some efforts being made to prevent it. In the U.S. nearly every state has some form of anti-trafficking legislation, and Wyoming is soon to become the last state to criminalize modern slavery. Child labor is being fought through strong unions connecting with families and communities to push children into schools and not the workplace. Many workers and unions in the U.S. and other countries are supporting efforts to end child labor by forging alliances with unions in other countries. There are also other organizations preventing slavery such as the Anti-Slavery Organization, and their partner, Volunteers for Social Justice (VSJ), which contributes to eliminating bonded labor. In conclusion, slavery has stayed the same since the past. People still trade and buy slaves, but it is now just under the radar and is usually sex trafficking. Bonded labor in the past is also exactly the same as it is now with people working for someone to pay off their debts, but they never actually get rid of their debt. It’s just a cycle that they can’t get out of because they don’t get paid with money, which makes them a slave. Child labor also still exists in poorer countries that use children as cheap and manageable workers, like factory owners did in the U.S.