Indian Immigration was a new form of slavery after the emancipation of the Africans in the Caribbean

Rebuttals : "They were confined to their estates and paid a pitiful salary" - It was in their contract that they signed that they would be bounded to the plantations. In addition to this, even though their salaries were mediocre , it was still higher than the amount they worked for in India. "unprepared for the long and arduous four-month sea journey." - After they were taken to the ports , they were medically examined to make sure that they could survive the the journey to the West Indies which would take three months. Musical instruments were allowed as a form of recreation as singing and dancing was encouraged. They weren't shackled and were allowed on the upper deck. There were also doctors to take care of them 'many Indians were brought to North American and the Caribbean against their will" - Most of the Indians came to the Caribbean willingly to escape the caste system which was the social order of society in India. Mostly the lower class came and those who were forced were of the higher caste which were in fewer numbers than the lower. Therefore, many weren't brought against their will, these were in the minority. Argument: Indian Immigration was not a new form of enslavement because they recruitment processes were vastly different. Indian recruitment started with advertisements being placed in news papers. The planters who needed labourers applied at the Immigration Office in their colony. The application would then be processed and the numbers tallied and sent to the Colonial Secretary in London. The Colonial Secretary would then send the total requests from all the British colonies to the Crown Agent who is also in London who sends this information to the Emigration Office either in Calcutta or Madras located in India. The Emigration Office would then hire agents to recruit Indians. They may hire sub-agents. These agents would go to the villages to get recruits . They informed the locals on where they would be going and the conditions of emigration. When recruited, they took a train from a depo and went to either Calcutta and Madras. These were the two main points where they collected immigrants. In these places the recruits were medically examined to ensure that they could survive the journey to the West Indies. They were also ensured of what they were going to do ( agriculture ). They were also vaccinated to the tropical diseases and questioned about their willingness to go to the West Indies. They then signed their contracts and were given a certificate of Emigration. The ship sailed down the Indian Ocean, around the Cape Of Good Hope in Africa and up into the Atlantic Ocean into the West Indies. The journey took three months by sail ship and 1-2 by steam ships. In the ships , married couples were separated from single people and single males from females. Musical instruments were allowed and dancing and singing were encouraged. Women were given combs to comb their hair as well as they were given rum with lime. These were forms of entertainment. There was a greater effort to keep them happy than the Africans. There were also doctors to take care of them on the ship. The recruitment of the Africans were different. As the Europeans couldn't go into the interior of Africa, some were captured on the coast, but most was captured in the interior. The African middlemen went into the interior, got captives then brought them back to the coast and sold them to the Europeans. They captured the Africans by: .Raids - The middlemen and crew went to a village and set huts on fire. When the Africans ran out of their huts, the middlemen would be waiting to capture them. This was usually done at night. . Tribalwars - This was the war between African tribes. The side that won may decide to sell their captives to the middlemen. tribes rose in power as a result of this. Europeans encouraged this by selling the Africans guns .Punishment - If a crime was committed in the tribe, the chief could decide to sell the criminal to the middlemen as punishment. .Repayment - If an African was in debt to another, he can be sold to the middleman as repayment. . Kidnapping - Some of the Africans were just kidnapped and taken to the middlemen. After recruited, they were marched to the coast, chained together, hands and feet or be yoked (joined by necks). They were shackled and usually in a line, cuffle and marched to the coast. This journey sometimes took 6-7 months. The cuffle comprised of all kinds of Africans. Those who cold not keep up were cut loose and left to fend for themselves. This was usually the children and the elderly. At the coast, they would be examined and stored in baracoons (holding cells). When the ship arrived, they were prepared for sale. They would be bathed, oiled , have cosmetics rubbed into their skin to hide scars and bruises and heads were shaved if their was grey hair. This was to make them look healthy to be sold at a higher price. The ship captains would negotiate and exchange cheap manufactured goods for the Africans. They were then loaded onto canoes and put them onto the ship. The journey to the West Indies took 6-8 weeks with favorable weather conditions. The ships were over crowded as the captain packed extra Africans on board to compensate for the deaths during the middle passage. They were chained and the men were separated from the women. They were only allowed on the deck for exercise. There were no washroom facilities, therefore, they had to do natural bodily functions where they were. It was unsanitary, filthy and unhygienic. Because of this, diseases were easily spread. There was poor ventilation , so there was no fresh air circulating. It was hot. If someone dies, they would be left there for a few days and due to the heat, the body would start to decay. There was one doctor on board but he could not tend to everyone as after they would return to the same conditions below deck. they suffered from small pox, yaws, dysentery, and sorts of blindness as below deck was dark. If food rations were running low or a disease broke out, the captain may get rid of the Africans by throwing them overboard . If they lost their cargo (the enslaved) they would be compensated from insurance, therefore, they had no problem pushing them over board. Due to the vast differences in the recruitment process and treatment between the enslaves Africans and the Indian Immigrants , it is fair to say that Indian Immigration was NOT a new form of enslavement.