The "Black Atlantic"

The term “the Black Atlantic” is acceptable if you look beyond the term itself and the actual happenings during its “creation” in the early eighteenth century. The obvious impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade on Europe, Africa and the America’s during this time can be seen by accessing total volume numbers used by numerous scholars. The numbers range from nearly 8,000,000 to 10,500,000 and are often criticized by the scholars on the subject, nonetheless, however, we can be certain that the impact of the trans-Atlantic trade created “the Black Atlantic.”
The nature of the Atlantic slave trade can be found by examining the socioeconomic change in certain areas of Africa and the way in which African’s were traded at a very low price to export traders of the time (Inikori & Rochester, 1994). The entire slave trade business, often thought of as strictly dominated and run by non-Africans, has been noted to actually have been run by Africans, usually those in high power or control of certain regions (Inkori & Rochester, 1994). The involvement of Africans in the trans-Atlantic slave trade would suggest that the term “the Black Atlantic” is sufficient because of the involvement of Africans trading goods and their people.
The Atlantic slave trade had an obvious significant impact on the lives of the Africans who participated in it. Traditionally we are taught and read about the contributions of this trade and its impact on European slavery and slavery in the Western hemisphere. However, we see early movement as written by black travelers of the time. Garzina (2001) discusses the psychological and religious impact of the ocean on slaves and free men, including Olaudah Equiano, who travels and wanders until he proclaims his faith and praise for a god who is most often worshipped by whites. Frederick Douglas and Harriet Jacobs, two historic founders of anti-slavery in the Americas, also went through similar changes while at sea. Through ocean travel black men were seen to have found “access to privileges, worldliness, and wealth denied to most slaves” (Garzina, 2001, p48).
“The Black Atlantic” truly lives up to its billing because of the role that Africans played in it and the impact of the Atlantic slave trade had on their individual lives. The sea was able to grant some wealth and freedom, and others were forced to slavery and often time’s death at sea. But it is these instances and examples that can allow us to use the term “the black Atlantic” as it pertains to the early eighteenth century.



References
Garzina, G., H. 2001. Freedom of movement in the early black atlanitc. South Atlantic Quarterly, 100(1), 41-59.
Inikori, J. 1994. Ideology versus the tyranny of paradigm: Historians and the impact of the atlantic slave trade on African societies. African Economic History, 22, 37-58.