The general notion of slavery is normally associated with a negative and disturbing connotation. It's a story that many are not proud to talk about in today's society, as it comes with cruel and frightening realities of how individuals have been treated based on distinct attributes on which they had no control; claiming people as property, rather than as human beings. The treatment and practice of slavery on African Americans is manifested to a large extent in the Atlantic slave trade and in "intra-African" slavery and/or servitude. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay The idea behind the transatlantic slave trade began around the middle of the 15th century, when Portuguese traders came down the coast of the West Africa in search of gold production. However, they soon became interested in the idea of ​​capturing individuals for use as slaves, as they saw advantages in bringing them to Europe for their own personal gain. Therefore, this was seen by other European groups, such as the British and the French, who then followed Portugal's example and began expanding overseas. Unfortunately, the influx of the slave trade that began to emerge caused a new and harsh reality to emerge for African American people. As the servitude of other individuals became of greater interest in European countries, an epidemic slowly developed associating slavery and blackness. Very quickly, it was less about getting work and more about realizing that those who were not of European origin were inferior. The Atlantic slave trade showed clear trends of merging those who were considered slaves and the sense of ownership. In fact, slaves were often considered human beings and were seen as proof of ownership, as the more slaves a master acquired, the more wealth he was considered to possess. This is an obvious conflict with how the purpose of slaves was viewed in the concept of “intra-African” slavery. The practice of servitude in Africa by African-American peoples was originally simply due to “warring groups taking prisoners,” as Donald R. Wright stated in his book “Slavery in Africa.” In many cases, the trader and the slave would both be of African descent, but they would normally belong to different ethnic groups. The color of an individual's skin did not have as much of a say among those who were slaves, as the whole concept was seen more as a commercial contraction. Those with darker complexions were not considered an "inferior" race, it depended on whether or not someone was a slave, and that was that. Slave owners also did not put as much effort into restricting the social mobility of those who were enslaved. This differed from Europeans because they felt the need to exert a stronger hold over their slaves, both physically and spiritually; the need to crush the potential for rebellion was a major concern and this only reinforced white supremacy. Trade within the European aspect was tightly restricted in terms of many laws and policies, as often individuals did not leave voluntarily nor did they have the option to leave their slave status. In addition, there was aclear classification of slaves as property without real substantive rights; this is also what led to the common name "chattel slavery", where a slave is simply considered the property of his master whom he serves. This was reflected in the way slaves were transported on ships. Often, they were placed naked on pallets and held by iron chains. Slave degradation was also particularly prevalent with the treatment of slaves who were subjected to cruel means of abuse as it was "common for dirty, filthy sailors to take African women and lie on their bodies", Ottobah said Cugoano. Those taken in the transatlantic slave trade were considered slaves for eternity along with their children and grandchildren. In “intra-African” trade, the emphasis was much more on the individual, as people voluntarily put themselves into servitude due to different circumstances such as debt, famine, and crime. However, individuals could lose their forms of freedom if they committed a crime, to which they could then become a slave. The distinctions between the two professions also took the form of what were considered cultural norms at the time. In the early days of African societies, when slavery was emerging, they found ways to keep traditions alive through word of mouth and the "kinship" (blood relationship) of individuals, according to Donald R. Wright . They could also play a role in the royal court as advisors or administrators if they were considered wise. In general, early slavery in Africa was not as restrictive in terms of a person's rights and ability to be freed from their slave status. Although the European slave trade and "intra-African" slavery had many differences in their practices, they also had similarities with respect to certain areas of intervention. Although slavery itself is not a feasible practice in today's society, at the time it existed, it had advantages for those who engaged in the trade, because otherwise they would not have doing business in the first place. Europeans benefited from the raw materials they were able to import from Africa, which was useful during the industrial revolution. They saw Africa as a gold mine from which they wanted to profit, whatever the cost. This only broadened the concept of slavery and those who participated in it. However, the main driver of both slave trades was the search for greater access to labor. Africans and Europeans gained greater sources of labor through the inaction of slaves and were able to perform larger workloads with more people. The demand for labor was a real incentive to continue slavery. Additionally, in both trades, slaves often showed a person's wealth and social hierarchy, as those with a greater amount of money were known to have the ability to obtain and maintain more slaves in their plantations. However, with all the movement of people in both trade scenarios, there is a clear loss of the fundamental traditions and cultural beliefs that once belonged to the African diaspora. According to the author of “Identity Roots,” there was “a conscious effort on the part of slave owners to suppress the identity of slaves,” which unfortunately only contributed to the degradation of culture African. African Americans did their best to try to maintain their sense of identity.