The Trans Atlantic Slave Trade

1441-1808

Slavery• Existed since the dawn of time• Traced back to Ancient Rome and

China• 12th Century Muslim traders take

back Africans• Traders became motivated by profit

Portugal• Portugal comes in contact with

Africans

• 1441 Antam Goncalves kidnaps 10 Africans

• This is the start of the slave trade

Triangle Trade• European Goods to Africa

• African Slaves to America ‘Middle Passage’

• America sent sugar, molasses, cotton to Europe

Map

Impact of the Slave Trade

Social Upheaval –

Largest and longest forced migration of people in history

Violence –

*wars fought to capture prisoners to be sold into slavery

*raids from ships to capture slaves

Social Collapse –

The loss of millions of people caused the established social structure to change. This weakening makes these cultures easy prey for later European conquest

Prejudice –

The need to justify slavery leads to the instilling of a sense of inferiority on Africans

Political Adjustment –

Established political structures, villages and kingdom fell as new powers emerged due to wealth fro the slave trade

Human Toll• Historians still debating

• 11 million Africans made it into slavery in the Americas

• 2 million died in the Middle Passage

• Up to 100 million died overall most in Africa