Life on the Plantation

African slavery started at the 16th century and ended in the 19th century.   Slave life was the most brutal and disrespected period of America.   When Africans first stepped foot on the slave ships coming to America things were bad.   The white man beat, raped, and treated the black man like animals.   Life on the plantation wasn't any better.   The slaves didn't work for a paycheck, they worked for their lives. The black man had difficulties adapting to the environment, learning another language, and being a monogamous.
Most slaves came from the West African region.   Disease, frailty and brutality, played a heavy part on of slaves dying on the ships.   The slave ships landed in Maryland, Virginia, or Carolina.   Once the slaves reached land they had to adjust to the environment in America.   Adapting to the new country meant:
Europeans and Africans would encounter varieties of microorganisms foreign to them and would bring with them varieties that were new to America.   So with red, white, and black men merging in this place, their bodies would have to make adjustments. (Nathan Irvin 58)
Europeans had trouble adapting to the shorelines.   The Africans were amused by the illness of the Europeans.   African immigrant wasn't as vulnerable to the shoreline, because they were adapted to the shorelines in West Africa.   They were most vulnerable to the malaria parasite.   In time, they adapted to the parasite.   Even though the African had some defenses, their body developed the sickle cell trait.   Other fatal diseases were yellow fever, which is carried by mosquito and smallpox, a contagious disease carried by a human host.   All white and black newcomers had to adapt to the new microorganisms coming into the country.   It was hard to make medicine for the slaves, because they didn't have the same herbs or plants in America.  
Communication was a necessary tool between the Africans and the Europeans.   To increase communications and reduce confusion, a... [continues]

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