How Did The Transatlantic Slave Trade Affect Society

In the early stages of America’s life, not all races benefitted from the new country’s promise of freedom and opportunity. Beginning in 1619, white european settlers shipped, bought, and sold Africans in order to “meet the colonies’ need for cheap labor” (Barkley 59). Know today as the Transatlantic Slave Trade, this forced exchange of human labor “helped build the economic foundations of the new nation” by providing an enormous amount of workers for specifically southern rice, tobacco, and indigo plantations (History.com staff). Slavery, however, came at an incredibly high price for the millions of Africans forced into working for plantation owners. They never experienced the freedom of America and were subject to the daily torment of grueling labor, equally harsh punishment, and the constant reminder that they had no control over their own lives. But even though they faced horrific trials and the success of escaping to a free land was always an uncertainty, African slaves were able to keep their faith strong in freedom and each other through dance and song.
The songs sung during slavery were performed by field and in-house workers and were used in a
The songs gave slaves hope and strength to fight for their rights as humans and also aided many in escaping to freedom via the Underground Railroad. I truly believe that if slave songs did not exist, slavery would have continued for a much longer period of time because no one would have gained the courage to stand up and fight against the racist slave owners. I also think that slave songs give us as listeners today a clearer understanding of what life was like during this era of America’s history and just how powerful music can be. Slaves songs prove that music is capable of bringing people together, to fill them with spirit and power, and can help them find their way to understanding and