Having listened to Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream ” speech, I feel so passionate about this issue that I can’t help giving it a vent through my own passion blog. What is the cause of this discrimination? Who began depriving them of freedom and basic human rights? Why were they in the place where their sense of cultural grounding and belonging was stolen? In order to answer these questions, we need to go back as far as the sixteenth century, when “Human trade” started to flourish and become prevailing all over the world.
Poetry Genius-The Slave Ships
The historical background behind African-Americans’ suffering lies on the unlimited desire of humans. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in Africa and initiate the slave trade. Their commodities, most of which were weapons, incited such a voracious appetite among the Africans that they were willing to do almost anything in exchange for these extraordinary goods. Compelled by the insatiable greed, these Africans raid undefended communities, kidnapped compatriots regardless of age and gender, and sold them to the Portuguese merchants. More weapons they got in return enabled them to commit these brutal crimes again with a higher degree of violence. Their wealth and power, therefore, rose alarmingly with the loss of other Africans. Needless to say, the transportation of these “Black Ivory” from Africa to America and the working condition there were more than a nightmare. Poor sanitation, overloaded work and harsh punishment took a heavy toll on the African slaves for so long that even after the emancipation, a long-lasting mark from the sense of inferiority was left on them and their descendants for centuries.
I used to think that I am now in the lowest point of my life, where I have nobody to turn to or even have fun with. However, the study of these people’s life gave me a valuable lesson. They were all threatened and tortured far more than I have ever experienced. When compared to them, the difficulty I am encountering is just a small challenge in life that will only make me become bigger and stronger.