Opinions on Slavery

Roots Volume 1

        Everybody has their opinion on slavery.Some believe to this day that is okay and what should be done. Some people and some religions believe that another race or religion is a lesser people than themselves and that they should serve them. Slavery in america no longer exists but when the country was still just colonies to 1865 slavery was very popular especially in the south. White men would go on a ship for trade with different countries. This was called the  

Triangular Trade Route. They traded crops, manufactured goods, and slaves. The route was between africa the caribbeans and the colonies. When they stopped at africa they picked up slaves. These slaves were looked at as cargo not humans, they were looked at animals because they had different customs and a different language, they were even accused of cannibalism. This was very wrong because people of different origins have different customs and traditions so of course they weren't going to speak the same language or look the same. What is even more sad is that the people doing the capturing itself were africans from other tribes and these people would even buy people from tribes if they didn't catch enough.

        Different people had a different attitude toward slavery. White people (colonists) in general thought it was okay and believed it to be normal. Some in the North believed that it was wrong and unchristian, they believed all men are created equal. People in the South had the most slaves. They had the most because they needed them to work in the fields which they grew cash crops in to make money. Africans didn't like slavery because they were the ones being enslaved. In the movie roots while they are on the boat they start to say “we will kill the white men” they wanted to kill them because they were removed from their life as they knew it, their friends, families, future , they were forced to do manual- labor while being abused, and  they were put in chains like animals.

Captain Davies and Mr. Slater are very different people with very different views on life and many other things. Captain Davies in a christian married man who accepts the job as the captain of this ship. This job isn't what he expected. He was told it was a cargo ship so he didn't expect for their to be people being traded on the ship. When Mr slater explains various objects used for and on the slaves Captain is shocked and asks several time if they were necessary and slater said absolutely.The slave women were raped by the crew, when Mr. Slater asks the captain if he wants a woman he looks at him in disgust and says “I don't believe in fornacation Mr Slator.”  The captain is a christian and doesn't believe in sleeping with women unless married to them.Mr Slator is one of the men on bored who take advantage of the slave women,he calls them names, sees them as cargo instead of people,and doesnt respect them at all. Captain Davies and Mr slator are very different and might even be opposites.