Women's Involvement In The Slave Trade

Women’s involvement in the slave trade is one that has been acknowledged by historians and students for quite some time. However, what that particular involvement was has been a grey area, only discoverable by further investigation. The question of how and why women became involved with the slave trade is one that cannot be answered simply, but instead requires much investigation and consideration. Through my own investigation and research, it becomes very evident that women are seen as very versatile resources that not only can be used for physical labour, but also may be used for sex and reproduction means, which was a benefit for slave owners. I argue women became involved in the slave trade due to their abilities to procreate and work the
Nevertheless, this method of transportation is just another way that slave owners ensured they see a profit, by spending little to no money to get what would be their new workers onto the plantation. By doing this, it takes away the slaves humanity even more, making them prone to even more abuse and unjust treatment. It is extremely crucial to remember that there was men and women alike on these ships, in these conditions and without the women there, there would be no reproduction capabilities within the slave community. However, not all African women were enslaved. It states, “African women’s vulnerability to enslavement was contingent on ethnicity, class and regional location,” (Bush 2008). This is very important to note, because not all African women were enslaved. If they were in a social condition that made them seem more elite than other African women, then they would be less vulnerable to slavery. The word vulnerable is important to note because it is used as a reminder that all African women could potentially be enslaved, but it was conditional based on who she is
A women’s value would be raised greatly if they were capable of this essential task. Their value however would not at all be beneficial to them, but instead only to the owners. In the “Home-grown Slaves” article, it goes into great detail on how the lives of women would be affected based on their fertility. It states, “enslaved women within their childbearing years experienced changes in their labor assignments and subjection to punishment as their masters adjusted work schedules, treatment, and care with hopes of increasing birth rates,” (Turner 2011). Slave owners wanted to protect and nurture these childbearing women because of the fact that they were able to give him so much more, economically, than any other slave could. The reason why they were considered so valuable was because of the fact, “All children born to enslaved women automatically belonged to their mothers’ master,” (Turner 2011). A fertile or pregnant woman was, in a way, as if she was two persons, in the eyes of a slave owner, herself and her future child(ren). Of course, more slaves means more work being completed, which was profitable. “Women’s sale and exchange value thus reflected “speculations” on their childbearing capacity, potentially adding to prospective buyers’ profit margins,” (Turner 2011). A fertile women’s value was solely seen as valuable to her master or those who may want to purchase her,