Hardships of Slavery in the 1800s Free Essay Example, 1250 words

Causes of slavery There are numerous factors attributed to the sprouting of slavery. Among the various factors is poverty. Low living standards and the harsh economy in the 1800s fuelled the emergency of slavery as people struggled to survive. Poor people, especially from Africa and Asia, were pressured by poverty to work for rich people under unfavorable condition to get food. They also accepted or were compelled to accept low payment. Industrial revolution in Europe and discovery of new land (America) brought a need for more work forces. The industries required raw materials and labor force in the production process. A lot of people were required to work in the plantation. The only way to acquire cheap labor was through slavery (Harris 12). Therefore, the west took African slaves to acquire cheap labor force. The slaves were take unwillingly and forced to work. The issue of overpopulation triggered slavery as well. The overpopulated communities sold some of their people to work in the plantations. Consequently, overpopulation is associated with depletion of resources and excess labor. As a result people from the overpopulated areas, for instance, western Africa were left with no option other than working as slaves to earn a living. We will write a custom essay sample on Hardships of Slavery in the 1800s or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Ignorance and lack of education is yet another vector for slavery. In the 1800s education was not very popular in Africa and Asia. Therefore, nationals from these continents had little or no knowledge of their freedom and rights as human beings. In fact, in the 1800s there were limited association to fight for human rights and freedom. The lack of education for Africans and Asians limited their chances of acquiring skilled labor to work in executive post. Therefore, they were to work as slaves. Effects of slavery Slavery had both negative and positive impact on social, political and economical fields. For instance, slavery resulted in separation of families. Strong men were taken to work in the plantations leaving behind their family (Dunaway 63). Additionally, children were separated from their parents and this brought misery and social suffering. Additionally, Slavery led to emergence of social classes. The plantation owners emerged to be very rich and were perceived to be of high status. Consequently they became of the upper social class. Those who worked in the plantation and had less money become of the lower social class. Slavery led to hatred, rivalry and insecurity between societies. For instance, in western Africa the Europeans supplied the African with firearms to facilitate raiding of the slaves.