14/11/2024
Hidden Contributions of Enslaved Persons to Industrialisation, Science and Medicine: Africans
The trans-Atlantic slave trade and the institution of slavery in North, Central, and South America subjected enslaved Africans to horrendous experiences and unspeakable suffering. These individuals were forcibly uprooted from their homes, torn apart from their families, and subjected to brutal conditions that dehumanized them. The harrowing journey across the Atlantic, known as the Middle Passage, witnessed countless lives lost due to disease, malnutrition, and inhumane treatment. Some resisted and there were up to 250 revolts. Once arrived, enslaved Africans were subjected to being marched at gun point hundreds of miles, dehumanising sales processes, backbreaking labor, physical abuse, and emotional torment, enduring a life of unimaginable cruelty.
Enslaved Africans were treated as mere commodities, stripped of their dignity and basic human rights. They were subjected to harsh punishments, such as whippings and brandings, designed to maintain control and instill fear. Families were forcibly separated, with children torn away from their parents, resulting in lifelong trauma and loss. The relentless toil on plantations, mines, and households left them physically exhausted, with little regard for their well-being. Enslaved women were often subjected to sexual exploitation, further adding to their suffering and degradation.
Despite enduring these horrific conditions, enslaved Africans and their descendants made remarkable contributions to humanity that resonate to this day. In the face of adversity, they preserved their cultural heritage, creating vibrant communities and fostering resilience through music, art, language, and religion. The roots of African culture took hold, giving rise to diverse forms of expression, such as African diaspora religions like Vodou, Santeria, and Candomble, which provided solace and a sense of identity.
Manpower: Enslaved Africans played a pivotal role in shaping the economies of the Americas. They provided the backbone of labor for the agricultural systems, toiling in the plantations that produced lucrative crops such as sugar, cotton, and to***co. Their expertise in farming and agricultural practices significantly contributed to the development of these industries. The agricultural knowledge they brought from their homelands, including techniques for cultivating rice and various crops, revolutionized farming methods in the Americas, making substantial contributions to food production and sustenance.
Industrialisation: The efforts of enslaved Africans and their descendants directly enabled industrialisation, profits from exploitation was re-invested in machinery and factory investment and enable white Americans to earn higher salaries. In the early 19th century, the industrial town of Lowell, Massachusetts, emerged as a major cotton manufacturing hub, thanks to the efforts of the "Boston Associates." These factory owners, led by Nathan Appleton and Abbot Lawrence, established large mills that employed 3,000 workers, primarily women and girls. The mills consumed an astonishing 100,000 days of enslaved labor each year, as the price of cotton dropped due to increased efficiency in picking. The Boston Associates reaped significant profits, investing in machinery, higher wages for workers, and luxurious buildings. Additionally, the growth of the cotton industry in the North fueled the development of other sectors, such as metalworks and consumer goods manufacturing. The economic impact extended beyond the cotton industry, as northern factories produced goods for domestic trade and cleared land for cultivation using slaves. Immigrants, particularly from Ireland, were drawn to the North, further fueling industrial growth. The shift toward an industrial economy led to a changing perception of slavery, with many northerners recognizing its detrimental effects on the national economy. The critique of "The Slave Power" gained momentum, asserting that slavery hindered economic progress and drained capital from the North, despite providing the raw harvests for factories. This shift in perspective ultimately contributed to the growing tensions between the North and South, leading to the American Civil War.
Infrastructural and cultural assets: In Europe, profits from the Trans-Atlantic slave trade in Europe were channeled into various sectors, leaving a lasting impact on the continent. These included universities, museums, the to***co industry, railway industry, and banks which witnessed substantial reinvestment of slave trade profits, facilitating their growth and expansion; The Central Banks and the National Navies were supported by these funds, enhancing their operations; Country mansions in European cities like Bristol, Liverpool, London, and the South East of England, including Harewood House, were constructed using slave trade wealth; Additionally, the iron industry, guns industry, sugar industry, and textile industry thrived due to investments fueled by slave trade profits; The scientific research, music, and arts sectors also received substantial financial backing from the proceeds of the slave trade, further enriching Europe's cultural and intellectual landscape.
Science and medicine: During the 1700s, the scientific community in the Western world experienced rapid advancements, and many of these breakthroughs were achieved with the help of enslaved Africans. Scientists aligned themselves with the slave trade to obtain specimens, relying on slave ships and traders for transportation, food, and shelter. James Petiver, a renowned naturalist, cultivated relationships with slave surgeons who collected specimens for him, amassing the largest collection of its kind in the world. Henry Smeathman, another naturalist, traveled with slave traders to collect samples and relied on slave ships to transport them. Even famous scientists like Sir Isaac Newton and Edmond Halley benefited from the slave trade, using data from French slave ports and observations from slave ports to advance their work. The wealth acquired through the slave trade also enabled individuals like Sir Hans Sloane and John Julius Angerstein to amass significant collections and contribute to the establishment of institutions like the British Museum and the National Gallery. Africans themselves made significant contributions to scientific knowledge, such as Kwasi, who utilized medical knowledge to treat slaves and European traders, and Joanna, who possessed extensive knowledge of African healing practices. The slave trade also facilitated the transfer of knowledge, including techniques of African rice cultivation and the discovery of various medicinal plants. In conclusion, the slave trade played a crucial role in scientific discoveries and agricultural advancements, with Africans making significant contributions that often went uncredited.
Slavery abolition: Moreover, the struggles and resilience of enslaved Africans paved the way for significant social and political changes. Their quest for freedom and justice sparked resistance movements and rebellions against the oppressive system of slavery. Their fight for emancipation inspired abolitionist movements and ultimately led to the abolition of slavery in the Americas. Prominent figures like Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Toussaint Louverture emerged as beacons of hope, fighting for the rights and liberation of their people.
Arts and Music: The contributions of enslaved Africans and their descendants extend beyond their struggles for freedom. They enriched various aspects of culture, including music, literature, dance, cuisine, and fashion. African musical traditions gave birth to genres like blues, jazz, reggae, and hip-hop, which have shaped global music and influenced countless artists. African folklore and oral traditions laid the foundation for powerful literary works, highlighting the richness of African storytelling.
In summary, the trans-Atlantic slave trade was a deeply horrifying and dehumanizing institution that subjected enslaved Africans to unspeakable suffering. Despite this, they made remarkable contributions to humanity, preserving their culture, reshaping economies, fueling industrialization, and leaving a lasting impact on science, medicine, infrastructure, and the arts. The struggles of enslaved Africans paved the way for abolition and inspired generations to fight for freedom and justice. Their resilience and cultural legacy continue to resonate and shape our world today.
References
1. Kean, Sam. “Historians expose early scientists’ debt to the slave trade” https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/04/historians-expose-early-scientists-debt-slave-trade
2. Natural History Museum. “Slavery and the natural world” Accessed 23 Mar. 2021. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/slavery-and-the-natural-world.html
3. Reville, William “Did early scientists owe a debt to the slave trade?” https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/did-early-scientists-owe-a-debt-to-the-slave-trade-1.3940432
4. Novoa, Adriana. “Book Review: The Intertwined Paths of Science, Slavery, and Race.” Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences, vol. 45, no. 2, 2015, pp. 348–356. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/hsns.2015.45.2.348. Accessed 23 Mar. 2021.
5. Eltis, David, and Stanley L. Engerman. “The Importance of Slavery and the Slave Trade to Industrializing Britain.” The Journal of Economic History, vol. 60, no. 1, 2000, pp. 123–144. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2566799. Accessed 23 Mar. 2021.
Additional Reading
Andrew Curran, The Anatomy of Blackness: Science and Slavery in the Age of Enlightenment (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011)
David Lambert, Mastering the Niger: James MacQueen’s African Geography and the Struggle over Atlantic Slavery (University of Chicago Press, 2013)
Dorit Brixius, ‘From Ethnobotany to Emancipation: Slaves, Plant Knowledge, and Gardens on Eighteenth-Century Isle de France’, History of Science 58 (2019)
Elizabeth Green Musselman, ‘Plant Knowledge at the Cape: A Study in African and European Collaboration’, International Journal of African Historical Studies 36 (2003)
James Delbourgo and Nicholas Dew, eds., Science and Empire in the Atlantic World (Routledge, 2007).
James E. McClellan and François Regourd, ‘The Colonial Machine: French Science and Colonization in the Ancien Regime’, Osiris 15 (2000)
James McClellan III, Colonialism and Science: Saint Domingue and the Old Regime (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010)
Judith Carney and Richard Rosomoff, In the Shadow of Slavery: Africa’s Botanical Legacy in the Atlantic World (University of California Press, 2011)
Karol Kovalovich Weaver, ‘The Enslaved Healers of Eighteenth-Century Saint Domingue’, Bulletin of the History of Medicine 76 (2002)
Kathleen S. Murphy, ‘Translating the Vernacular: Indigenous and African Knowledge in the Eighteenth-Century British Atlantic’, Atlantic Studies 8 (2011)
Kay Dian Kriz, ‘Curiosities, Commodities, and Transplanted Bodies in Hans Sloane’s “Natural History of Jamaica”’, The William and Mary Quarterly 57 (2000)
Londa Schiebinger, Secret Cures of Slaves: People, Plants, and Medicine in the Eighteenth-Century Atlantic World (Stanford University Press, 2017)
Nicholas Dew, ‘Scientific Travel in the Atlantic World: The French Expedition to Gorée and the Antilles, 1681–1683’, The British Journal for the History of Science 43 (2010)
Rana Hogarth, The Medicalization of Blackness: Making Racial Differences in the Atlantic World, 1780-1840 (University of North Carolina Press, 2017)
Raymond Phineas Stearns, Science in the British Colonies of America (University of Illinois Press, 1970)
Seymour Drescher, “The Ending of the Slave Trade and the Evolution of European Scientific Racism,” Social Science History 14 (1990)
Starr Douglas, ‘The Making of Scientific Knowledge in an Age of Slavery: Henry Smeathman, Sierra Leone and Natural History’, Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History 9 (2008)
Suman Seth, Difference and Disease: Medicine, Race, and the Eighteenth-Century British Empire (Cambridge University Press, 2018)
Susan Scott Parrish, American Curiosity: Cultures of Natural History in the Colonial British Atlantic World (University of North Carolina Press, 2006)
