The Atlantic slave trade: What too few textbooks told you - Anthony Hazard

譯者: Harry Chen 審譯者: Melody Tang

Slavery, the treatment of human beings as property, deprived of personal rights,

「奴隸」是把人們當作私產般來看， 剝奪走個人的權利，

has occurred in many forms throughout the world.

用各種型態在世界上不斷地重複上演，

But one institution stands out for both its global scale and its lasting legacy.

但是有一個體制在其全球的規模以及 歷久不衰的後續影響上領先群倫，

The Atlantic slave trade,

就是發生在15世紀末至19世紀中旬，

occurring from the late 15th to the mid 19th century

橫跨三大洲之「大西洋奴隸交易」。

and spanning three continents,

forcibly brought more than 10 million Africans to the Americas.

強行帶走超過1000萬名非洲人去美洲，

The impact it would leave affected not only these slaves

它所遺留的衝擊不僅影響了 這些奴隸與其後人們，

and their descendants,

but the economies and histories of large parts of the world.

還影響到世界上大多地方的經濟與歷史。

There had been centuries of contact between Europe and Africa

歐洲與非洲大陸之間早就經由地中海

via the Mediterranean.

往來了好幾世紀，

But the Atlantic slave trade began in the late 1400s

可是大西洋奴隸交易在 十四世紀末就開始產生了，

with Portuguese colonies in West Africa,

因為有葡萄牙在西非的殖民地以及 西班牙緊接其後在美洲的據點，

and Spanish settlement of the Americas shortly after.

The crops grown in the new colonies, sugar cane, tobacco, and cotton,

新殖民地要種植的農作物─ 甘蔗、菸草、棉花等，

were labor intensive,

那是非常仰賴人力的，

and there were not enough settlers or indentured servants

但在那邊並沒有夠用的屯墾者 或契約僱傭

to cultivate all the new land.

來耕種所有新到手的土地。

American Natives were enslaved, but many died from new diseases,

美洲的原住民們被當成了奴隸， 不過許多是死於全新的疾病，

while others effectively resisted.

其他地方的原住民則成功地反抗不從。

And so to meet the massive demand for labor,

也因此為了要迎合大量的人力需求，

the Europeans looked to Africa.

歐洲人盯上了非洲，

African slavery had existed for centuries in various forms.

非洲的奴隸已經在多種形式下 存在了有好幾世紀，

Some slaves were indentured servants,

有一些是簽訂契約的雇傭，

with a limited term and the chance to buy one's freedom.

簽有明定條款的契約以及 有買回自由的機會，

Others were more like European serfs.

其他的就比較像是在歐洲的農奴；

In some societies, slaves could be part of a master's family,

在某些地方奴隸可以是 主人家庭的一份子，

own land, and even rise to positions of power.

持有土地甚至還能出人頭地。

But when white captains came offering manufactured goods,

不過當白人船長來到後 提供製造精美的商品、

weapons, and rum for slaves,

武器、以及蘭姆酒等以取得奴隸，

African kings and merchants had little reason to hesitate.

非洲各地的國王們以及 商人們也沒有什麼遲疑的理由，

They viewed the people they sold not as fellow Africans

他們不把他們所販賣的 人口當非洲同伴看待，

but criminals, debtors, or prisoners of war from rival tribes.

不過就是罪犯、欠債者或是 敵對部落的戰犯；

By selling them, kings enriched their own realms,

透過販賣這些人國王們讓自己的 王國變得很富有，

and strengthened them against neighboring enemies.

還有讓自己變強以抵禦週邊的敵人。

African kingdoms prospered from the slave trade,

非洲的王國從奴隸交易上得到繁華，

but meeting the European's massive demand created intense competition.

不過為了要迎合歐洲人大量人力的 需求產生了激烈的競爭，

Slavery replaced other criminal sentences,

充當奴隸取代了其他的罪責，

and capturing slaves became a motivation for war,

以及獲取奴隸成為了戰爭的動機，

rather than its result.

而非戰爭的結果。

To defend themselves from slave raids,

要在搶奪奴隸的戰爭中護守好自己，

neighboring kingdoms needed European firearms,

比鄰的王國間需要著歐洲人的槍砲，

which they also bought with slaves.

那也是他們得用奴隸買來的；

The slave trade had become an arms race,

奴隸交易已經成了一場軍火競賽，

altering societies and economies across the continent.

改變了這塊大陸上的各個社會和經濟體。

As for the slaves themselves, they faced unimaginable brutality.

至於這些奴隸則遭受到 難以想像的殘忍酷行，

After being marched to slave forts on the coast,

在被集中到海岸邊的奴隸要塞後，

shaved to prevent lice, and branded,

剃光了毛髮防止蝨子還有打上烙記，

they were loaded onto ships bound for the Americas.

他們被裝運上要開往美洲的船，

About 20% of them would never see land again.

差不多20%的人就不曾再見到陸地了。

Most captains of the day were tight packers,

那時候大多數的船長

cramming as many men as possible below deck.

在船艙內儘可能擠進最多的人數，

While the lack of sanitation caused many to die of disease,

衛生設備的缺乏就造成 許多人因疾病而死亡，

and others were thrown overboard for being sick,

還有其他人是因為生病或是 不守規矩就被丟進海裡去。

or as discipline,

the captain's ensured their profits by cutting off slave's ears

為了確保本身的利益 船長們以割掉奴隸的耳朵

as proof of purchase.

做成成交證明。

Some captives took matters into their own hands.

有些俘虜則選擇自己了斷；

Many inland Africans had never seen whites before,

許多內地的非洲人從來不曾看過白人，

and thought them to be cannibals,

把白人看成是食人族，

constantly taking people away and returning for more.

不斷地帶走人接著又回來要更多的人，

Afraid of being eaten, or just to avoid further suffering,

擔心被吃掉或者只是要逃避更慘的折磨，

they committed suicide or starved themselves,

他們自殺了或是餓死自己，

believing that in death, their souls would return home.

相信死後的靈魂就能重回家鄉。

Those who survived were completley dehumanized,

存活下來的人徹底地不被當成人，

treated as mere cargo.

被看成不過是貨物般，

Women and children were kept above deck and abused by the crew,

女人和小孩被留在甲板上受到船員凌虐；

while the men were made to perform dances

為了要讓他們持續運動 以及抑制造反意念，

in order to keep them exercised and curb rebellion.

男人們被迫表演跳舞。

What happened to those Africans who reached the New World

至於這些抵達新世界的非洲人的命運

and how the legacy of slavery still affects their descendants today

以及奴隸制度如何至今 仍然影響著他們的子子孫孫，

is fairly well known.

廣為人知；

But what is not often discussed

不過很少被談到的

is the effect that the Atlantic slave trade had on Africa's future.

就是大西洋奴隸交易對 非洲的前景所造成的影響，

Not only did the continent lose tens of millions of its able-bodied population,

這塊大陸不但失去數千萬名 體格健全的百姓，

but because most of the slaves taken were men,

又因為大部分被帶走的奴隸是男人，

the long-term demographic effect was even greater.

長期下人口狀態的影響是更巨大的。

When the slave trade was finally outlawed in the Americas and Europe,

當奴隸交易終於在美國和 歐洲被宣告為非法的時候，

the African kingdoms whose economies it had come to dominate collapsed,

非洲各個王國所統治的經濟體就崩解了，

leaving them open to conquest and colonization.

造成他們對征服和殖民者敞開大門，

And the increased competition and influx of European weapons

而加劇的競爭和歐洲的武器湧進，

fueled warfare and instability that continues to this day.

助長了延續至今的戰爭以及不穩定性，

The Atlantic slave trade also contributed to the development of racist ideology.

大西洋奴隸交易也導致種族主義的產生，

Most African slavery had no deeper reason than legal punishment

大部分非洲的奴隸制度緣自 法定的裁罰或是部落間的戰事，

or intertribal warfare,

but the Europeans who preached a universal religion,

但是傳佈共同信仰的歐洲人，

and who had long ago outlawed enslaving fellow Christians,

以及長久之前將奴役基督教徒 視為於法所不容的那些人，

needed justification for a practice

需要為明顯違背他們 平等理念的做為來找理由，

so obviously at odds with their ideals of equality.

So they claimed that Africans were biologically inferior

因此他們宣稱非洲人是 生態學上較為次等者，

and destined to be slaves,

注定要被人奴役，

making great efforts to justify this theory.

下了極大的功夫為這個理論辯護，

Thus, slavery in Europe and the Americas acquired a racial basis,

這樣一來在歐洲和美洲的 奴隸制度就取得了種族的依據，

making it impossible for slaves and their future descendants

使得奴隸和他們的子孫不可能 在社會上取得平等的地位，

to attain equal status in society.

In all of these ways,

在全部這些方法下，

the Atlantic slave trade was an injustice on a massive scale

大西洋奴隸交易是一種大規模的不公義，

whose impact has continued long after its abolition.

它的影響在它被禁止後還持續了很久。