1. Slavery and the Middle Passage
Olaudah Equiano, also known as Gustavas Vassa, was born in Guinea, Africa in 1745. His birth-name was Essaka and he was the son of an Ibo chieftain. Equiano was the youngest son of seven kids, six boys and one girl. As a child he enjoyed spending time with his mother, whom he was very fond of. ...
Introduction The Middle Passage is the crossing of the Ocean from Africa to America of African people, who passed from the state of liberty to the state of slavery, and took place between the XVI and XIX centuries. They were captured from the tribes situated on Africa's West Coast: Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Congo, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Senegal, etc. and they were shipped in the southern area of North America (Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida). The Diaspora gives birth to a new human being: the African American, who links together the African and the Ame...
As early as 1680 the majority of the slave population was native-born. ... They found that the rates of return on a slave were quite high and that holding slaves was quite profitable. The average rate of return of a male or female slave was about the same, around ten percent. ... This was a blow to all the theories that slavery was unprofitable and that slaves had low rates of return. It also showed that the rates of return were higher and not below that of alternative investments. ...
"Cortés pointed out that the land was fruitful, rich in gold, and that the chief and all the natives seemed to bear us good will; Being united in public assembly we agreed to write to your Majesties sending them all the gold, silver and jewels which we have obtained in this country."" This was a piece of a letter to Governor Vela¡zquez from Cortés justifying his actions on not following the Governor's instructions, which was to find as much gold as possible by bartering with the natives. Cortés felt that there was much more to explore in Mexico and decided not t...