Übernommen von www.dap-hamburg.de
Johanna Renate Wöhlke, President of “Die Auswärtige Presse e.V.”, February 2014:
“We take great pleasure in publishing an address posted by Professor Derek Fraser on the website of “Die Auswärtige Presse e.V. The subject is slavery, a particularly sad chapter in human history. In spite of its historic background, this subject is as topical as ever. Until today, our modern society is trying hard to fight this evil. We thank you very much, Professor Fraser, for giving us the permission to publish your lecture on our website.”
by Professor Derek Fraser
(A shortened version of a lecture given on board Queen Elizabeth as part of the Cunard Insights programme January 2014)
Am I not a man and a brother?
Slavery is as old as civilisation itself and many ancient Empires, including Egypt, Greece and Rome, were built on slave labour. However, in the 17th and 18th centuries slavery took on a new more systematic form, in the wake of the voyages of exploration to and colonisation of the Americas by Europeans. The fertile land of the New World generated a demand for labour which far exceeded the supply of both indigenous peoples and migrants. Africa seemed to promise an unlimited supply of labour which the colonies needed and so the infamous triangular slave trade developed. Ships from Europe would take manufactured goods, including basic armaments, to ports in West Africa. There the products were offloaded and traded for African slaves, brought to the huge slave warehouses by unscrupulous traders,
often Africans themselves. The “middle passage” transported the slaves to North and South America in horrendous conditions. Many suffered serious View full article »
