The century of 16th is engraved in history books as the time when trade practices were essentially exploitative and where the lack of systemic care, particularly about black African women, reached unenviable levels. In this era, European powers established trade routes that administered the rise of global Trade. Nevertheless, such an economic uplift came at an excellent price, for it intensified the plight of the subjugated and marginalized, predominantly black African women. The Trade of the 16th century is respectively analyzed with women under socioeconomic exploitation and governmental negligence.
The transatlantic slave trade began in the 16th century, an evil exchange that turned men and women into enslaved people for commercial purposes. Creeping ambition and unquenchable greed in the hands of European powers immensely led to the exportation of millions of Africans to the New World, which left them to live under atrocious circumstances and life of servitude. Among the most vulnerable were black African women, undergoing manifold suppression at all times. From the prominent slave traders such as Franklyn and Armfield, their callousness can easily be inferred, for they earned a lot of money from the misery of the enslaved (Justice For Everyone, 2023). Hence, the orderly transfer of enslaved people between Virginia and Maryland reveals the prevalence of the practice in the colonies. Black women encountered exceedingly awful situations during the Middle Passage, where they suffered from diseases, starvation, and sexual assault on vessels crowded to the maximum but not designed for such conditions. Many of the transatlantic voyages ended in the death of so many, and the few that survived survived as nothing more than enslaved people in the hands of their cruel masters. This inhuman Trade has a legacy still haunting societies by showing the importance of justice and equality towards current struggles.
The utilization of black African women exceeded the boundaries of the plantation, which was the sexual exploitation and abuse they endured. Besides the physically exhausting work in the fields, these women were similarly regarded by enslavers as sex objects surviving systematic rape and sexual abuse. From the founding father Thomas Jefferson, who is related to the lofty ideal of equality written in the Declaration of Independence, ironically, the hypocrisy is vivid. Jefferson was an egalitarian owner of as many as 600 enslaved people. The most noteworthy is his relationship with Sally Hemings, one of his slaves, whom he may have fathered up to six children. This example accentuates the grim reality of sexual abuse within the system of slavery, perpetuating the cycle of trauma and humiliation for black women.
Furthermore, the government’s collusion in keeping up this exploitation should not be ignored. Enslaving African black women is what European powers were up to, and they opted to disregard the suffering of black African women during the transatlantic slave trade. The governments legislated laws and policies supporting slavery and establishing the position of enslaved individuals as inferior. In many colonies, all protection was absent for black African women, and they were exposed to abuse and exploitation. A justice system that, rather than relieving them of their grievances, often served to deepen their subject. Courts routinely stood with enslavers, denying black African women the most fundamental right. In addition, there was no sufficient help or aid from governments to black African women who found refuge or liberation. Runaway slaves who would be caught were subjected to severe penalties; some of the states imposed excruciating punishments such as torture or even death.
Therefore, the 16th century is known as a black page in history, characterized by the exploitation and neglect of black African women. The transatlantic slave trade made them subjugated, exposing them to the unthinkable evil and withdrawing from them the most elementary rights and freedoms. Instead of being supposed protectors of the weakest, governments joined in and made money from their exploitation. Let us recall this history and recognize the oppression faced by black African women to this day as we pursue a more just and fair society.
References
Justice For Everyone . (2023, July 28). SEX TRAFFICKING OF LIGHT-SKINNED SLAVE WOMEN IN THE PRE-CIVIL WAR SOUTH. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM-wt11BYYw
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