commerce in people: the atlantic slave trade ap world history notes: chapter 15
TRANSCRIPT
The Atlantic Slave Trade
Lasted from about 1500 to 1866
About 12.5 million Africans taken from their societies About 10.7 million made it
to the Americas About 1.8 million (14.4%)
died during the transatlantic crossing
Millions more died in the process of capture and transport to the African coast didn’t even make it to the ships
The Middle Passage
Middle Passage Enslaved person’s journey
from Africa to the Americas Middle leg of the
“Triangular Trade” pattern Miserable journey
Packed tightly together Chained together Many suffocated or died of
disease (1 in 6) Some committed suicide or
went on hunger strikes
The Atlantic Slave Trade
When slaves arrived in the Americas, they were sold at auctions Used as laborers, seen only as a unit for
profit Viewed as valuable property/things, NOT
people
The Slave Trade in Context
Idea of slavery = nothing new Before 1500 = Mediterranean
and Indian Ocean regions were major areas of slave trading Major source of slaves = southern
Russia Many African societies practiced
slavery themselves, as well as selling slaves into these networks Trans-Saharan slave trade =
brought Africans to the Mediterranean
East African slave trade = brought Africans to the Middle East and Indian Ocean area
Depiction of slaves in ancient Rome
The Slave Trade in Context
Slaves have always been considered “outsiders” of their masters’ societies, but slavery came in many forms examples: Some slaves could be assimilated
into their owners’ households or communities
In some places, children of slaves were considered slaves; in other places they were considered free
Preference for female slaves in the Islamic world
Jobs of slaves differed depending on the region
African slaves in the Islamic world
Slavery in the Americas:Something Different
Immense size of the traffic of slaves
Centrality of slave labor to the economies of colonial America
Slavery based on plantation agriculture only
Slaves treated as dehumanized property
Slave status = inherited; little hope of freedom
Racial dimension Atlantic slavery came to be indentified with Africa and “blackness”
Origins of Atlantic Slavery
Origins = lie in the Mediterranean = where Europeans first established sugar plantations After they learned about
sugarcane and producing usable sugar from the Arabs
Also set up sugar plantations on islands off the coast of West Africa
Sugar plantation work = difficult and dangerous Slavery became the source of
labor because nobody would work under these conditions for the small wages being offered
Origins of Atlantic Slavery
Original slaves on these Mediterranean plantations = Slavic-speaking people from the Black Sea region
1453 = Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople Result = Official end of
Byzantine Empire Result = Ottomans now
controlled Black Sea region Result = Ottomans cut off
Christian Europe from its major source of slaves
Slave raiders in eastern Europe
Origins of Atlantic Slavery
At the same time = the Portuguese were starting to explore the coast of West Africa Were looking for gold
but found an alternative source of slaves there
Result = when sugar-plantations started in the Americas, Europeans already had ties to a West African source of labor supply
Origins of Atlantic Slavery
Africa = primary source of slave labor for the colonies through a process of elimination Slavic-peoples = no longer
available Native Americans = quickly
died off from European diseases
Europeans = Christians = exempt from slavery
European indentured servants = expensive and temporary
Inspection and sale of an African slave
Origins of Atlantic Slavery
To the Europeans, Africans were perfect for plantation labor because: Skilled farmers Some immunity to tropical
and European diseases Not Christian Relatively close and easy
to get Available in large numbers Had darker skin allowed
the Europeans to view them as an “inferior” race
“Testing an African Slave for Sickness”
The Slave Trade in Practice
Slave raiding in Africa = unnecessary and unwise African societies = capable
of defending themselves against European intrusion
African societies = willing to sell their slaves peacefully
Europeans = dropped like flies when entering Africa’s interior because not immune to tropical diseases
How Did the Slave Trade Work?
Step 1: African merchants and political elites captured slaves and brought them to the coast of West Africa
Step 2: Europeans waited on the coast (in ships or fortified settlements) to purchase these slaves
Step 3: Europeans brought slaves to the Americas and sold them at slave auctions to plantation owners
The Slave Trade in Practice
In exchange for slaves, African sellers wanted: European and Indian
textiles Cowrie shells (used as
money in West Africa) European metal goods Firearms and
gunpowder Tobacco and alcohol Decorative items, such
as beads
The Slave Trade in Practice
African slave trade = hurt smaller societies within Africa Raided by larger,
more powerful neighbors to conquer their people to sell as slaves
Lacked the protection of a strong state
Where Did These Slaves Come From?
Slave trade drew mainly on the societies of West Africa
Progressively moved into the interior of Africa as the demand for slaves picked up
Slaves = drawn from marginal groups in African societies = prisoners of war, criminals, debtors, people who had been “pawned” during times of difficulty, etc. Those captured and sold =
“outsiders” So Africans didn’t believe they
were “selling their own people”
The Impact of the Slave Trade in Africa
Slowed Africa’s population growth Simultaneously =
populations of Europe, China, etc. were expanding
Causes: Loss of millions of people
over 4 centuries Economic stagnation
caused by the slave trade Political disruption caused
by the slave tradeNumber of Slaves Traded During the
Slave Trade
The Impact of the Slave Trade in Africa
Slave trade = did not help Africa economically because: African merchants and elites who sold the slaves kept the money for themselves and did not invest in their African societies
No technological breakthroughs in agriculture or industry to help increase the wealth of African societies Proclamation of the New King of
Dahomey in AfricaThe rich get richer, and the poor get
poorer.