During the Atlantic Slave Trade that lasted from the 15th to the 19th century ,Brazil imported approximately 5.1 million enslaved Africans. Brazil’s Proximity to Western Africa was a benefit to the trade because it was an easy route to transport resources such as gold,spices and cotton for slaves to be sent to Brazil. Brazil to Western Africa was under two thousand miles from each other and eventually Brazil became one the many countries apart of the triangular trade route. This explains why Brazil had most of the slaves due to European’s demand for workers in their plantations in Brazil. This produced Brazil to become one of highest sugar producing regions due to their high slave working population.
The asiento is the reason why Brazil is so popular.It granted permission for Negroes to shipped into spanish america. This created a long lasting cycle that originated in 1502 when slavery began in Brazil due to the Atlantic slave trade and high demand of work needed in the region. On the large country in South America , many slaves worked vigorous hours for 386 years to help increase the European’s economy by force. Many Brazilians including John were amongst the brutal behavior of slavery to grow and produce raw materials. During this time John and his peers were forced to work in unsuitable conditions including extreme weather for multiple hours to produce sugar cane. Sugar cane is another reason why Brazil is so popular. Growing sugar in Brazil was the perfect place because of the weather conditions. It was all about sugar from the 15th to the 16th Century. Slavery continued and focus on products began to shift , which consisted of gold and diamonds. This caused 1.7 million more slaves to be shipped to Brazil because of the high mining demand needed. As time went on slaves including John were physically abused such as being shackled by their feet, whipped and treated in any way possible. Snatched from their homeland , the slaves culture and sense of self was slowly but surely being erased but John and other slaves refused to allow it to happen. The slaves were so fed up with the behavior the Europeans were doing so, John and others came up with tactics to keep hold of their heritage and protect their selves all in one creatively. Along with tactics of capoeria , which was a martial arts form disguised as dancing to protect their selves, they also began to escape and get away from the violent actions that occurred on the plantations.
John and his peers , Sam and Alex escaped from their plantation to find sense of their self and live life more freely away from the torture they were experiencing. John and his peers founded the Quilombos for their selves and other escaped slaves. It was a community that consisted of less than 100 people. Here in the Quilombo community they continued to practice the art of capoeria to instill into their Brazilian culture . As time went on Brazil eventually abolished slavery in 1888. But unfair treatment wasnt quite over yet.
With the ending of slavery , Brazil now became a very diverse land and stood proud with the unity they demonstrated unlike other places. This is true because John and his two friends Sam and Alex were all different but still the same in the end. Just different complexions but they all came from the African diaspora. Brazil now was considered a hybrid nation because it was Africans, Europeans and even mixed races residing in the country but oppression still occurred. The Branqueamento tactic was used to create lighter skinned offspring by having children with white people to diminish the people of African descent on the land. Also Brazil paid for over 4 million Europeans to be sent to Brazil to whiten the population. Brazilians also developed a systematic color system which defined individuals based of their skin tone which still was a way to create separation. Although John and his friends experienced various types of oppression and ways of separation , they never lost touch with their culture. They still ate rice , beans and many other indigenous crops from their homeland which was rooted from Africa. The dance moves used from capoeria was still used to celebrate.
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