African Slaves Essay

RationaleMy project get out be to examine the lives of Indian Indentured comminuteers between 1845 and 1917. The reason I am examining their lives is to prove that Indian Indentureship was just another form of bondage with a distinguishable name. The project will also assist me in learning about the Indian Indentureship period for my CSEC examination.IntroductionIndentured labour was some issue like the last resort for planters after thraldom. After the abolition of bondage the planters were left with a labour shortage. In their search for other sources of labour the planters tried Chinese, Madeirans, even free African slaves but each of these options each had their disadvantages. After a trial and error period with many different labourers, it was found that the Indians were the ideal labourers. The Indentureship period was supposed to be a fair, kind and just system unlike the African slave trade and slavery on the whole but this was not the case. In many aspects of the Ind entureship period, it was virtually identical to slavery. In the following paragraphs it will be shown from the evidence given, that Indians were tempered almost as badly as African slaves, proving that the Indentureship period was all another form of slavery. Indentureship and slavery are basically the same thing but the major thing that differentiated them was the fact that the Indian labourers were de jure owned while the African slaves were forced to work for the planters.The Indians were cheated into signing contracts which they didnt understand with false promises of a better life and good working conditions. The Indians were gullible and were easily tricked into signing the contractswhich ran from 3-5 years. The African slaves on the other were kidnapped in most cases and forced to work for the rest of their usually short lives. Their only chance of freedom would be allowed only if they purchased it, which was very unlikely. The go for both the Africans and the Indians began with a long journey on a boat in deplorable living conditions. For the Indians the journey lasted from 93 to 113 days which was longer than the journey of the Africans which lasted from 6 to 10 weeks. Although both journeys were bad the Middle passage was a little worse than the journey the Indians endured. They were both kept in hold in spaces which was unhealthy, especially if kept for long periods of time. Because of their confinement diseases were easily spread and the mortality rate was very high. Life on the plantation was not a lot different because their living quarter were also confined.