Nzinga Mbemba (Afonso I), Three Letters from the ManiKongo to the King of Portugal, 1526
This article was created by Nzinga Mbemba. The purpose of the document was to try to urge King Jao III of Portugal to take control of his subjects who were rapacious when it came to slave trade. This letter was meant to be private since it was addressed to the king of Portugal. This document does not show any bias instead it reflected the situation that was on the ground accurately. The author was however not neutral since he had the interest of his people at heart. The author had reasons to be honest or dishonest since the lives of his people were at stake here. The first reaction I got when I read this article was how the Europeans got that freedom to capture Africans freely in their land.
John Barbot, Description of the French Slave Trade, 1678-1682
This article was written by John Barbot who was French Royal African Company agent. The purpose of this letter was to give a picture of what went on during slavery trade when saves were being captured from Africa. This article shows how serious the trade had affected African values. This article was meant to be public since it is not addressed to a specific person. The bias in this document can be seen where the author tries to portray himself as being compassionate and that they could treat the slaves better than they were treated in their own land. The author was pro slavery and since he wanted to justify slavery he could have been dishonest. My first reaction to this article was that it wanted to portray Africans in a bad light so that slavery could be justified.
William Bosman, A Dutch Slave-Ship Captain Describes the Trade for Slaves at the Port of Whydah in West Africa, 1705
This article was written by William Bosman. The purpose of this article was to show how the trade was carried out, and how the business led Africans into extremes of even selling their kin. The article can be considered a public article since it is not addressed to anyone specifically. The author does not seem to present any kind of bias since he appears to be only narrating and has kept his personal opinions to himself. The author appears to be a neutral party even though he was in the side of the slavery masters. There was no reason for the author to be dishonest. My first reaction to this article was that the slave trade drove Africans into doing some of the most inhumane things.
Alexander Falconbridge, An English Slave-Ship Surgeon Describes the Horrors of the Middle Passage (1788)
This article was written by Alexander Falconbridge. It is meant to show the horrible conditions that Africans were subjected to. The article appears to have been intended for the public since it is not addressed to a single individual. The document shows bias on the side of the author. The author stands to be accused of humanity so he gives a picture of Africans being too cruel against each other and that the Europeans were the saviors since they were civilized. When I read this article I immediately saw the intention of an author who was trying to justify slave trade by portraying a bad picture of Africans.
Ottobah Cugoano, Narrative of the Enslavement of a Native of Africa (1787)
This article was written by Ottobah Cugoano. Its purpose was to show the horrible journey that slaves went through during the slavery period. The letter is intended for the public since it is open and not addressed to any single individual. The article does not show any bias since he weighs the wrong on both sides and blames the whole thing on the slavery business. The author has reasons to be dishonest but choses to be honest. My personal reaction to this article was why would Africans sell each other if they truly cared for one another? The cruelty of the white men to fellow white men also showed how the business was so ruthless.
Olaudah Equiano, A Personal Account of the Middle Passage (1788)
This article was written by Olaudah Equiano. The purpose of the article was to show what the author went through in the slavery period. It is a public article since it is an autobiography. The article possesses some bias since the author is keen on portraying the Europeans as inhumane. The author thus leaned on one side and was not neutral. The author might have had reasons to be dishonest since he wanted to exaggerate the cruelty of the trade. My personal reaction to this was that the trade had really killed the humanity in slave traders.
Zamba Zembola, An African Prince Becomes a Slave (1847)
This article was written by Zamba Zembola who was a prince somewhere in the Congo. The purpose of the article is to show the author’s experience when he was in the slave ship and also to tell how he came from being a prince to a slave. This article is public since it does address any one person categorically. There is also no bias that has been shown by the author since he only narrates his experiences. There was no reason for the author to be dishonest since he was already free from slavery. My personal reaction to this article was that slavery did not have any boundaries since it was lucrative.
