HST 300 Essay 1

There were many different cultures in Africa that Europeans had constant contact with.  Many of the slaves that were sold to Europeans were taken from the western coast of Africa.  According to Thorton there were three distinct cultures based on language within that area, with those three broken up into seven subgroups (Thorton, 186).  Upper guinea, including the Mande, the northern West Atlantic, and the southern West Atlantic; Lower Guinea which includes the Akan and Igbo; Angola Coast that includes Kikongo and Kimbundu (Thorton, 187-191).  Each set of languages was very similar to one another so it was not hard for people from the same region to be familiar with and able to understand one another. 

Trade frequently brought these different cultures together.  Slaves were frequently traded during these interactions.  It was not Europeans and their influence that started the slave trade it was something that Africans had been a part of for many years prior to the European slave trade (Thorton, 73).  In Africa wealth was measured in people; how many slaves a person owned determined how wealthy they were.  Slaves were used as a way to secure wealth or for “production of revenue and for performing administrative and military service” (Thorton, 89).  Even after Africans were taken from their homes and taken to either Europe or America, Africans were still able to maintain their cultural identities.   Not only was owning slaves a sign of wealth, but owning European textiles was also a way to show wealth.  Africans already had cloth, iron, and weapons, but owning European items gave Africans the opportunity to show that they were wealthy enough to purchase these items. 

Africans in America had to change and modify their way of life from how it had been in Africa when they arrived in the New World.  Many different cultures were forced together to work and live.  The result was many modifications being made to those African cultures.  Many slaveholders allowed their African slaves to create communities.  They would try to purchase slaves who originated from the same area in Africa and encourage them to create families so that they would be less likely to rebel (Thorton, 196).  When Africans were brought to America it was not hard for them to find other slaves who came from a similar region where they spoke a similar language and had similar “norms” (Thorton, 205).  This allowed the slaves to be able to connect with other slaves and maintain their cultural identities.

After the initial change and move to the Americas, Thorton argues that aspects of culture change based on their stability (Thorton, 207).  Language being very stable took much longer to change than did art and music.  European influence of language caused African language to change and even to completely disappear in some places.  It also made much of the ways of family life change.  Slaves were taken from their families and forced to create new bonds with people they did not know.  Many aspects of African life was the same as it was in Africa, but over time European culture influenced African culture and changed it and made it unrecognizable.

It was inevitable that African culture would change after being taken from their homes and sold into slavery.  People of different cultures had to come together so that they could try to feel more at home than they would if they isolated themselves.  Africans were able to maintain much of their cultural identity for some time, but slowly European influence became too strong.