Captivation of a group normally leads to similar characteristics and behavior of that group. This statement is evident for Africans and their descendants who were subjected to slavery for over three hundred years. The article, ‘The First Passage’ speaks of these Africans who were exploited by Europeans and how they came to develop and sustain various cultural and social forms. The way the Africans were perceived by others made it difficult for them to maintain some form of identity, however they had for themselves their own beliefs and this was the basis of their individuality.

Many persons are inclined by nature to associate with others of the same type. Africans had no choice but to do just this because of the racial and class divisions imposed on them by the Spaniards and the Portuguese. Africans in particular, were set far apart from others in the society and were considered the lowest rank out of Whites , mestizos, mulattoes and the Indians. The Africans then had their own main principal groups, with the main distinction based on place of birth. The first group , the ladinos, were born in Africa but spent time in Europe before they were transported to th

Other working environments slaves were summoned to do also created a form of social interaction. Slaves worked as gangs, which was the most effective way of getting slaves to be more efficient, or in gang systems, where the task are given to individual families and each member of the family has to work. In the Caribbean, slaves were summoned to do sugarcane cultivation due to the climate and the soil, working in the fields for hours, “.. slaves were generally awakened at four in the morning and worked until ten or eleven o’clock at night” (21). After the work is done the master then inspects the work and a whipping is sure to follow after. If the work was not done to the liking of the master, the inevitable happened, a whipping for your laziness. Some laws could even punish their slaves for not being happy enough while doing their work, or partaking in any other activities. Slaves were restricted from gathering in groups, traveling without a pass, and riding horses without the permission of their master.

The slave family was the center of life on the plantation, but was viewed in different ways by the master and his enslaved workers. To masters the family life that was allowed to the slaves helped to create order, it reduced the amount of rebelliousness in the slaves. Having a family was something that slaves wanted as well as masters. One thing that was taken from the slaves was their names. Their names carried a lot of significance for them, however they were often changed. “Their names had deep emotional, cultural, and ceremonial meanings”(30), which made it difficult for them to adjust to their new names. However, among themselves they often used their original names. The slaves looked at the family as the softening blow of slavery. Children were very important entities of family life. Parents often looked on to their children as their only light.

Some topics in this essay:
Hispanola Africans, Bible God, Indians Africans, Discrimination Captivation, Black Slaves, Portuguese Africans, Palmer Colin, allowed slaves, getting slaves, slaves own, born africa, masters slaves, ‘the passage’, activities slaves, family life, slaves summoned, social cultural,