Free Essay About Slaves

It is true that the descendants of slaves brought from Africa are far better off today than they would have been if their ancestors had never been slaves and had stayed in Africa. The manner in which the slaves were treated varied from one place to the other, but it was comprised of sexual abuse to the women, brutal treatment and even whipping. The slaves lived in adverse conditions and were prevented from going to schools in order to continue being illiterate. They were even prevented from having religious groups after the rebellions such as the Nat Turner. Services such as medical care were provided to the slaves by their fellow slaveholders. Punishment was not inevitable as they were punished for being disobedience to the slave masters. Punishment occurred in the form of hanging, shackling, branding, mutilation and whipping. Slavery was an immoral and horrible act that led to the suffering of many Africans but the fact is that today most of the Africans whose ancestors were slaves are today enjoying and benefitting from their stay in the United States and other countries that their ancestors were taken (Russell 341). African Americans in the US today enjoy the benefits of social security making their life more comfortable than it would have been in Africa. The aspect of social security is neutral in terms of ethnicity or race since those with identical historical earning are treated equally. The system of social security is made in such a way that lower wage earners get higher percentage benefits than that received by the higher wage earners. The percentage of pre-retirement benefits is more to the low wage earners compared to the higher wage earners. It mainly helps the African Americans since in 2012 the earnings of the working-age African Americans who worked full time was about $35,000 compared to that of all the working age group that was $42,500. In the same year, Africans aged couples benefitted from social security. About 32% of the aged married couples and 54% of the unmarried couples depended on social security for close to about 92% of their income. Compared to other races, African Americans have a lower life expectancy, and therefore they benefit more from social security compared to other races. They are also protected from the cost of living that may be difficult due to inflation. African Americans continue to enjoy social security compared to their counterparts who are in Africa. African Americans are benefitting from the struggles that were made by their ancestors who were slaves. Most of the African Americans today enjoy personal liberty and have better living standards than Africans found in other parts of the world such as Africa (Bales 92). Personal freedom allows an individual to do what they want freely except those that are restrained by the law in order to protect the moral, physical and the political welfare of others. Most of the developed countries such as the US allow their citizens to exercise their rights and as such protect the rights of the citizens. Personal liberty is not permitted in many African countries since most of the governments in Africa are dictators. Dictatorship form of government does not allow people to express their views freely and as such most Africans have been tortured or imprisoned. Countries such as Somalia are war torn, and the citizens cannot criticize the activities conducted by the militia groups thus limiting their chance of expressing their personal liberty. Countries that are developed such as US and Europe where the slaves were taken have better living standards. US rank amongst the top countries with better life index. Although the money is said, that cannot, but happiness, it is important in improving the living standards. The net-adjusted disposable income per capita for every household is close to 39 531 USD per year. On matters of employment, about sixty-seven percent of the individuals aged 16 to 65 in the US have better-paid jobs. Unemployment is a menace in Africa since most of the countries do not have the resources to sustain their increasing population (Siegfried 192). Due to unemployment, poverty is killing most people in Africa compared to the developed countries in which the African ancestors were taken as slaves. Criminal activities have therefore erupted in African countries due to unemployment, and this increases the level of insecurity. Poor planning by some of the countries makes them focus on the secondary issues instead of focusing on the primary matters such as unemployment that leads to uncertainty. Due to poverty, many people especially children have died due to malnutrition. Some of the countries that have been hit by hunger include Kenya, Congo and even Sudan making the citizens suffer. While the Africans are suffering, those whose ancestors were taken as slaves are benefitting from the better living standards such as the presence of good jobs and security. Poverty is not a menace in European countries or US compared to Africa. Good and quality education is essential especially in the job market. Most of the African Americans benefit from the quality education in the countries in which they are currently residing due to the better infrastructure. Most of the students who study in the US have access to all kinds of technology and books thus leading to quality education. Close to about 90% of adults aged 25-64 have attained a high school degree in the US. Most of the African schools are not developed, and the students face constant challenges such as hunger and political instabilities. Hunger has made most of the African schools to be closed as the students cannot go to school when hungry. Political instability that is common in most African countries has also made most of the schools to be closed for some time (Salzberger 72). Most of the schools also lack some of the equipment and books unlike the schools in developed countries that have access to basic requirements such as electricity and even internet access. African Americans also enjoy better health care compared to their counterparts in Africa. Life expectancy in the US as per now is at 79 years. Health care in the African countries is not well developed, and this lowers the life expectancy. Most of the Africans are exposed to harsh working conditions and dangerous substances without them taking care of their safety. Infant mortality rate is also high in Africa since pregnant women are not given comprehensive care.
Conclusion Africans Americans were looked down upon during the slave era, but today they have a better life compared to those who are living in Africa since they have better opportunities and the freedom to exercise their will. It is therefore evident that descendants of slaves brought from Africa actually are far better off today than they would have been if their ancestors had never been slaves, and had stayed in Africa. The issue of slavery influenced American history both positively and negatively. The American economy today has changed because of slavery. American history presents it as a stable economy due to the nature of the work the slaves did by working on the plantation farms. Slavery played an important role in determining the society and economical choices of the southern colonies. Slavery also had a negative impact on the American history based on the manner in which it hindered some projects. The development of southern capitalism was not possible due to slavery. Based on the manner in which slaves were treated, America was at times viewed as a country in which the blacks were discriminated.

Works cited

Bales, Kevin. Ending Slavery: How We Free Today's Slaves. Berkeley: University of California, 2007. Print.
Russell, James W. Double Standard: Social Policy in Europe and the United States. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2011. Print.
Siegfried, John J. Better Living Through Economics. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2010. Internet resource.
Salzberger, Ronald P, and Mary C. Turck. Reparations for Slavery. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2004. Print.