John Thornton’s literary work Africa and African in the Making of the
Atlantic World, 1400-1800 explores the abundant evidence of African culture
both before and after the Atlantic slave trade.
Thornton explores the ways in which African culture was influenced,
affected, and destroyed by the Atlantic Slave Trade by evaluating religion,
language, cultural traits, and political aspects. The acknowledgement and acceptance of this is
a recent development that has essentially required many historians to re-evaluate
the standard for African history.
African customs were completely self-supporting
prior to European contact in Africa. It
is important to keep in mind that it is a widely believed and accepted belief
in archeology and history that Africa is where human life first began. As a result, the African continent had a long
standing cultural and economic system that was unique to the diverse groups
that inhabited it. Thornton establishes
and expands on this notion of African culture existing long before the
European’s arrived, furthering this idea by its influence and introduction to
the New World through the Atlantic slave trade.
Familial and religious systems were highly prevalent within Africa and
would be carried into the New World as a means to adapt to the new
surroundings. For example, Thornton
points out that the family kinship and social organization was highly flexible to
a changing setting (Thornton, 207). The
notion of a flexible social organization would be beneficial to Africans who
were forcibly brought to the New World.
Additionally, Africans brought to
the New World adapted their own language, which is essentially a combination of
other languages. This would serve as a
way to maintain a connection to the African continent, despite being in the New
World. According to Thornton, many African
languages had similar grammar and vocabulary (Thornton, 189-90). This would make the transition to one language
in the New World easier and help Africans adapt to their new surroundings. Religion also served an important factor in
this transition and connection between the New World and Africa. Thornton suggests that religion was a crucial
component to the pre-slave lifestyle for Africans. It served as an identity that was ripped from
Africans upon arrival to the New World. Thornton
indicates that religion emerged into what was considered Christianity that
satisfied both African slaves and their owners (Thornton, 235). It is important to note that Thornton does
indicate there is a slight disconnect in African Christianity, which would
cause an unclear understanding to white slave owners. Some of the saints worshiped by Africans were
considered diabolic by their European counterparts and would be persecuted as
such.
Ultimately the gradual transition
from Africa to slave through the Atlantic Slave Trade was drastic and devastating
on both the body and the soul, it is important to keep in mind that slavery was
not a new phenomenon within the African continent. As Thornton indicates, the institution of
slavery was deeply rooted in African society, however held different functions
(Thornton, 45). Owning land was not an
issue to Africans because the land belonged to the state, therefore private
ownership (in terms of an entrepreneur) of slaves produced wealth. In contrast, New World slavery consisted of
harsh plantation life and did little to benefit the state, rather than the land
owner.
The ultimate message that a reader
should gain from Thornton’s book is that slaves were treated in a very different
manner in the New World. This change in
treatment has much to do with the culture, language, religion, and customs that
were long established in Africa. In
contrast, the New World provided little comforts of home, thus forcing African
slaves to adapt and overcome. Thornton displays
this blended reality of African slaves through the exploration of pre-Atlantic
Slave Trade African times.
Thornton,
J. (1998). Africa
and Africans in the making of the Atlantic world, 1400-1800. (2 ed.).
Cambridge,
UK: Cambridge University Press.
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