What if the transatlantic slave trade never occurred?

What if the transatlantic slave trade never occurred? By Jay Meeks

What if the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire had never issued Dum Diversas and the transatlantic slave trade never existed? What if the transatlantic slave trade never occurred? The transatlantic slave trade did occur and over 15 million Africans were either transported into the blood soaked chains of slavery in the Americas or were brutally murdered or died during the wretched slave ship conditions of the Atlantic crossing. In addition, after almost 400 years of American slavery and the creation of the United States (with all her original promises prior to the emergence of cotton success), a period of racial segregation, which spanned longer than a century, followed the end of the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation to widen the troubling economic, social and racial gaps created by slavery and racial segregation. History can’t be changed, so what is the purpose of asking the question: what if the transatlantic slave trade never existed? The main purpose behind this hypothetical questioning, contemplation and reasoning is to analyze history as it happened, to examine how that history has impacted and developed our American (and international) society, and to better reflect on how the factor of cause and effect is intricate in advancement from the most minor and isolated incidents to large scale national and international events. Therefore, I have developed several questions based around the broader question of “What if the transatlantic slave trade had never existed?” With each question posed, I have attached my views, opinion, branching questions and ideologies in response. I strongly encourage anyone, especially those with a passion for history, recognition of the importance of historic truth (no matter how ugly), the education for our American children, the exchange of knowledge and viewpoints, and the push to further develop the vital ability for critical thinking among ourselves and our American peers….to please post their own views, values, contemplations and answers for the following questions. There are no wrong or right answers in this mental exercise as we are all develop views and opinions from various intellectual, economic, moral, religious and even racial ideologies (and experiences)….yet we are all products of history, inhabitants of the same land and uncertain future, and share the same concerns for the future of the United States and our children (despite our ugly history and degenerating moral conditions).

1) Would the United States exist today if not for the transatlantic slave trade, and if so, would it have become an economic and military superpower?

From the early developments of British colonization in North America, it seems that exports of tobacco, sugar, and cotton (among many other vast natural resources) were exported back to Britain. These exports were cultivated under the toil, sweat and blood of American slavery prior to the establishment of the United States and it was this accumulating value of exports and resources that made the British colonies so valuable to the crown (and so heavily taxed after years of British wars and overexpansion). If the transatlantic slave trade had never occurred, would the colonists have tried to force slave labor from the original people of America or poor European whites? It appears that early Spanish historical written accounts from the Caribbean colonies complained of resistance from the native people and physical fatigue (under such climates) from the captives of original people of America. Looking at the English colonies, which would eventually become the United States of America, the transatlantic slave trade was already in motion prior to their creation with Britain, following Spain and Portugal’s lead, prepared to expand the transatlantic slave trade to all new levels. African captives transported through the transatlantic slave trade were inserted into slavery in an unknown and unfamiliar land, surrounded by captors of an unknown language, and surrounded by unknown and frightening technologies, fierce and unfamiliar animals, unknown landscape and climate, and unfamiliar food while the original native people of America knew the land better than the newly arrived European oppressors, were surrounded by their own technologies, animals, crops, language and culture. While Africans had been imported as individuals from various African tribes, the natives of American soil were in their own land and knew the lay out of where other tribes were and which would assist in resistance and would be able to resist forced slavery (at minimal to the point of hindering production). Therefore, it is my opinion, that if the transatlantic slave trade never occurred, the original native people of American soil would not have been a powerful labor force (under forced labor) and the level of economic exports required to make the colonies valuable enough to exploit (and thus evoke a war for independence) would never have been achieved or would have been greatly delayed decades, possibly even a century or more. Would the British have enslaved whites at the bottom of the economic caste, apostates, or criminals? I contemplate what the Salem witch trials (or other religious trials and digressions) might have looked like if economic development and forced slave labor were at stake for those landed gentry in power and who were tithing church authorities (as these methods of Christian land grabbing were also evident during the Catholic Inquisition). Remember, the papal bull Dum Diversas originally allowed non-Christians to be captured or traded for on the west coast of Africa by Portugal and exported as slaves to the Spanish colonies of the Caribbean. It was not until years prior to the creation of the United States when British/American Christian slave owners (grasping at a way to pacify their slaves after fearful stories of slave rebellions in the Caribbean) began teaching their slaves limited Christianity, which eventually brought the moral dilemma of Christians enslaving fellow Christians which basically shifted the emphasis of American domestic slavery from religious to race based. Even if the moral fear of enslaving poor white Christians did not hamper labor production to increase the value of the colonies, the endeavor would probably fail and develop serious civil conflicts between various factions of Christian elements. Christian landowners shouldn’t have been so infested with greed and simply worked hard in an honest manner, huh? Regardless of how labor would eventually be initiated and maintained in the absence of the transatlantic slave trade, it is my opinion that if indeed the colonies were able to become valuable enough from exports (and resources) to brake away from England due to excess taxation (and American Revolution), the events may have been greatly delayed in the speculative historic timeline until technology from the industrial revolution reached the shores of America and, as a result, due to the unknown strengths and weaknesses of Britain after such a lengthy delay in event development….perhaps the United States never breaks free and would remain under British rule and would not break free and declare independence until centuries later and look quite differently today.

2) If the transatlantic slave trade never existed, what would be the identification of black people today and what would racial demographics in the United States be like today?

Black people around the world, but especially American descendants of the transatlantic slave trade are one of the greatest symbols of strength, endurance, determination and survival in world history. Not even the Jewish people can come close to the claim of overcoming the most intense levels of oppression, degradation, genocide, rape and straight out evil that black American bloodlines have survived, advanced against, and ultimately triumphed against by emerging as equals to the descendants of their captors, with the rare accumulated developed qualities of strength, durability, endurance, intelligence, and profound pride painfully derived under 400 years of wretched captivity. Yet, what if it never had happened? First, what would be the racial demographics of the United States be today if there had been no transatlantic slave trade? Would the predominant demographic races be white and Hispanic? Or, should the Spanish colonies had struggled to stay afloat without African slave labor, would Northern America be predominantly white and Native American? With no transatlantic slave trade there would be no American Civil War, but what other wars concerning the vast land might have occurred? Might the conflicts between the original people of the land and the Europeans developed and concluded differently than originally happened? Might there have been different wars concerning Mexico (or concerning Texas or California)? Might the extensions of European nations engaged in wars that may have resulted in different conclusions? These prospects would depend on many factors, but would especially depend on whether the Spanish succeeded or not in their Caribbean colonies. The possibilities are limitless and one single missing element would inevitably change the results of history. Would there be any people of African dissent in the United States? Surely there would be, but the demographic landscape would be very, very different indeed. After all, there are white people in China. If there had been no transatlantic slave trade, no struggle, no centuries of bondage, and no human triumph of such adversity transformed into brilliant advancement (unmatched by any people in the history of the world), what would the identity of black people in America and around the world be? Would they be just like everyone else with good and bad in their African history? Perhaps there would be African national prejudices and attractions like have been seen with the Europeans? How much edge, fire, love, animosity, resentment and pride would be lost if there had never been the greatest oppression, struggle and triumph in the history of the world? Would there really be no racism, as the concept of race was basically generated by western slavery and a purely western concept. Perhaps people would still judge people and develop hostilities over various nationalities or another form of forced labor since the transatlantic slave trade never occurred? I have no answer to how the world would view Africans or how Africans would view themselves if the transatlantic slave trade had never existed, but I am sure it would be quiet different from how black American view themselves and their history…as events on the African continent and the African people would have developed vastly different histories and there would be no dominant black American culture. It would have never been created.

3) Would there still be a major economic gap and high crime problems in the modern United States if there had never been a transatlantic slave trade?

We will leave aside the possibilities of the United States never breaking away from Britain or being greatly delayed in becoming economically valuable to the point of developing the animosities associated with taxation to cause a break from Britain. We know that the United States is a capitalistic society and since the beginning of its creation has been ruled and motivated by capitalistic interests (domestically and later internationally). Slavery in the United States did not end until the 1860s and segregation was not officially ended until the 1960s (though we know racial segregation and racial sentiments unofficially continued decades afterwards). There are a few factors based off today’s American economic caste that require contemplation: 1) Race slavery and racial segregation delayed black Americans for over 200 years in economic origins concurrent with a capitalistic society. For example: while the majority of blacks in the United States were still enslaved prior to the Emancipation Proclamation, Euro-whites and Jews (with capital stemming across the Atlantic) bought up the majority of land and accumulated more capital from it. This trend would continue westward shifting gradually to the domestic land gentry and bankers financing and profiting from the expansion. The golden principal of capitalism is that a person must have capital to create capital. Not only did slavery prior to the 1860s prevent blacks from being able to accumulate capital, the century of racial segregation hindered them even further. Segregation hindered the opportunities to obtain higher education, obtain business loans, and many other areas of economic advancement. Therefore, we have a serious issue of a delayed starting point with ramifications that can be clearly seen today in the economic break down among ethnic groups. 2) Why is there such a large populous of lower economic whites? If you study back through historical records, you will see a large influx of European immigration (especially after 1860) and many of these immigrants were poor Europeans with no capital that came to the United States chasing a dream (that either never existed or was already owned by capital holding land gentry). I would have to assume, simply by what I have studied and witnessed of capitalism and humanity, that there would still be a wide economic gap between the so-called bourgeois and the working class proletariat regardless if there had never been a transatlantic slave trade or not. After all, students of European history can easily recall the exploitation of the European Serfs before the creation of the textile mills and windmills (Note: both, the emancipation of the European serfs and the abolition of American slavery occurred after the appearance of new technology that made current manufacturing techniques (the term capitalism had not been coined yet) into outdated modes of production and greatly reduced the requirement numbers for manual laborers: 1) The windmill and textile mills…before the emancipation of European serfs. 2) The industrial Revolution before the abolition of American slavery. Again, I do not believe the absence of slavery in America would have any effects on the past or modern exploitation of the American working class. In addition, where there is economic exploitation and poverty, there will always be crime. There were high crime rates and debauchery problems in Britain during the industrial era of the late 1700s and entire 1800s when capitalist exploitation took root and began to expand outward while sucking the life out of the working class beneath its boot. One area that should be addressed toward the conversation of the American crime epidemic and what that crime problem would possibly look like today if there had been no transatlantic slave trade…. is modern hip hop culture. What once was a positive music and cultural influence has turned violent and self destructive to the youth and community. Many people do not believe that any music influences people or society, but I tend to believe that music and media, especially such a strong cultural influence as hip hop culture, indeed plays a very large part in influencing the American society, especially on the youth, from the good to the self destructive. Sadly, the owners of the American media and music industry and their constant production of murderous, self destructive rap tools is an entirely different conversation, but one that should not be left out of consideration where addressing modern American crime in the absence of the transatlantic slave trade. I hold the opinion that the self destructive hip hop culture that is force fed the American youth (by Jews and whites), among other factors such as parental neglect, is a major influence (a cause producing effect) behind the massive amounts of young black men (and young men of all races) who are seen murdering each other in the streets over money, reputation and meaningless ignorance along with the masses of young black men (and young men of all races) boxed in the prison industrial complex. In closing, I believe that the United States would still face the same economic gaps and high crime problems that we have today, even if the transatlantic slave trade had never occurred.

4) What would the face of American religion look like if there had never been a transatlantic slave trade?

The United States was founded of Christian principals and is apparently still a predominantly Christian nation (though it certainly does not behave according to the doctrine I frequently hear Christian friends speaking on). With the multi-faceted splinter branches of Christianity across the United States, this is a clouded and difficult area to consider. It would appear that there would be no Nation of Islam (quite different from traditional Islam), Minister Louis Farrakhan, or even Malcolm X. Considering the previously mentioned manner in which black Americans were integrated (or assimilated) into Christianity (in order to mollify possible slave insurrections and pacify individual slaves), it is quite possible that there would have never been a Martin Luther King Jr. in America. Which branches of Christianity would be most impacted (or possibly cease to ever exist) if there had never been a transatlantic slave trade? The Southern Baptist church recently, in 1995, issued an apology for their support of slavery and segregation. Perhaps if there had never been race slavery in the United States, Southern Baptist Christianity would have never fully developed, spread and been able to economically support itself and its spiritual ideology. Overall, I do not think that religion would be drastically altered if there had never been a transatlantic slave trade. On the other hand, with no forced labor or race slavery in the United States (which led to the Civil War conflict between two different regional economic interests, the north with new industrial technology and the south, still relying on slave labor), and considering the possibly delayed economic growth off the vast resources from American soil due to no slave labor….it seems highly likely that the various Christian landowners (who maneuver government through economic influence) would soon be at war with each other within the land. While we only have four synoptic books and a one-line quote from a Jewish Historian, Josephus, to prove the existence of Jesus….we have 2000 years of recorded history showing the institutional Christian appetite for power, wealth and conquest.

5) How much would American culture be affected if there had never been a transatlantic slave trade??

So, so very much. Just to name a few inventor names: George Washington Carver (agriculture)… Granville T. Woods (electric and industry)….Lewis Latimer (contemporary of Edison)……Jan Matzeliger (shoe industry) …..Dr. Daniel Hale Williams (open heart surgery). What if the transatlantic slave trade had never occurred? Would the many, many inventions by African-Americans ceased to ever develop? Or would they develop elsewhere in the world? No Alex Haley or Roots. No Good Times. No Jeffersons. No Sanford and Son. No Chaka Khan. No Minnie Ripperton. No Earth Wind and Fire. No Muhammad Ali. No Jesse Owens. No turntable DJs. No break dancing. No Soul Train. No Dr. Percy Lavon Julian. No Ida B. Wells. No writings by Phillis Wheatley, Harriet Jacobs, or Alex Haley. No Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman or Sojourner Truth to learn from. No James Weldon Johnson. No Harlem Renaissance. No ApolloTheater. No President Barak Obama or the Michelle Obama (whether you like them politically or not). Honestly, I could go on all day about which famous people would be missing from American culture from categories such as famous inventors, scientists, entertainers, writers and revolutionaries and yet I will never know all of the many, many individual (African descended) American firefighters, police officers, military members, doctors, builders, teachers, mothers, fathers, and great contributors to our American society.

Closing question

How did we get to this insane position in history and in our current conversation to realize that we face a painful paradoxical and oxymoronic admission in that if there had never been a transatlantic slave trade, the wretched centuries of American slavery and the triumphant victory of black Americans from the beginning storm of darkness in the era of our long gone forefathers to the grey clouds of America’s uncertain future today…. America would not be culturally whole. It would be incomplete. It would be missing half its soul, missing half its being, missing half its culture, missing half of its identity, missing half of its family. The conundrum of this history is that many modern white Americans today abhor what was done during the transatlantic slave trade and domestic American slavery, are sickened by it, and wish it had never happened. In being granted that wish (should it truly be possible) they would lose half their American family and their American identity. This brings up an interesting closing question considering all the questions that have been posed, contemplated and discussed: How many modern white Americans, if they could, would erase the wretched history of slavery to never have had the positive influences and culture that developed through that wretched timeline? To never have had the individual friends, loved ones, parents, children and teachers that came through that time line because their descendants were never brought to this land? How many modern black Americans, if they could, would erase the wretched history of slavery? I ask you now. Would you?

I feel that I could go on longer contemplating my thoughts on this period of our American history which has impacted (and will continue to impact) our modern United States, her society, her future and our unified children, but I feel that I have gone on long enough. I hope that others will participate in this mental exercise and share their thoughts, knowledge, feelings and views. Please feel free to add additional questions for thought and contemplation.

Peace, focus and strength, my Americans.

Jay Meeks

RESEARCH LINKS

English translation of papal bull Dum Diversas

http://unamsanctamcatholicam.blogspot.com/2011/02/dum-diversas-english-translation.html

Reference on the transatlantic slave trade and number of Africans transported

http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m7b/activity1.php

http://www.slaveryinamerica.org/history/hs_es_florida_slavery.htm

http://www.slavevoyages.org/tast/index.faces

Information on cotton exports

http://www.slaveryinamerica.org/history/hs_es_cotton.htm

http://www.history.org/almanack/people/african/aaintro.cfm

Income statistics by race 1975-2006

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0104552.html

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bio

http://www.lib.lsu.edu/hum/mlk/srs218.html

African American Inventors

http://www.africawithin.com/jeffries/aapart31.htm

http://www.black-collegian.com/african/aaprofil.shtml