Slaves were considered cargo because, in the context of the transatlantic slave trade, they were treated as property and commodities rather than human beings. This dehumanization allowed slave traders and plantation owners to justify their exploitation and mistreatment. The language of commerce, including terms like "cargo," reduced individuals to mere objects to be bought, sold, and transported, reflecting the economic motivations of the era. This perspective facilitated the brutal conditions of the Middle Passage and the institution of slavery itself.
Slaves
Human Cargo "Slaves"
Afrcan slaves.
slaves
Because the black slaves were taken from another ship, and they are identified as cargo, not people. On the cargo sheet, 50 pieces of cargo were taken away, turns out, 50 slaves were drowned.
The name given to the cargo area that was reserved for slaves was called the Tween Decks, and it was located between the deck and the hold of the Slaver
Slaves themselves were considered property. They were owned by their masters, and they were treated like "cargo, furniture, and regular livestock". Anything they owned belonged to their master, including their children. They could be sold at any time, destroying their family bond.
Hazardous cargo, no. Hazardous waste-yes.
African slaves were treated very poorly on the slaver ships. They needed to keep the slaves alive--but otherwise, slaves were just like any other cargo.
slaves were viewed as property not as people
Slave traders viewed slaves as property to be bought and sold for profit. Treating them as cargo was a way to maximize their own financial gain. The inhuman conditions on the Middle Passage were often justified by the mindset that slaves were expendable and replaceable.
The slaves were considered inferior to whites in the South and also in the Dred Scott case they were considered property. Not only were the slaves considered inferior to whites, they weren't even considered people. African Americans were considered to be slaves/ animals, not people. In the case with slaves, killing a slave was just as bad as killing a turkey for thanksgiving dinner.