Final answer:
Enslaved Africans in the New World managed to preserve aspects of their culture through family, religion, cuisine, and arts. New World slavery differed from prior forms as it was chattel slavery, marked by extreme brutality and racial ideologies. The trade in enslaved Africans deeply impacted their communities, leading to population decline and loss of skilled individuals.
Step-by-step explanation:
African Slavery in the New World
The Africans who were forcibly brought to the New World did not lose their culture completely despite the severe conditions of slavery. Although many aspects of their lives were controlled, enslaved people managed to retain their humanity and cultural identity in various ways. Families were formed, and new kin networks emerged, with fellow laborers becoming 'brother' and 'aunt'. Enslaved Africans combined elements of African religions with Christianity to create new faiths. They also blended African foods with local ingredients, which influenced the creation of new cuisines. The persistence of African culture is evident in the music, dance, and stories that originated during that time.
African slavery in the New World was distinct from past instances of slavery and other labor systems due to its scale, dehumanization, and the racial ideologies that were developed to justify it. Unlike in Africa, where enslaved people might have rights and could integrate into their captors' society over time, New World slavery was chattel slavery, where people were treated as property, stripped of their rights, and subjected to brutal, life-shortening labor conditions.
The impact of the trade in enslaved Africans was profound on the communities they were taken from. It led to a decrease in population, the loss of skilled individuals, destabilization of societies, and an overall hindrance to potential social and cultural progress.