Atlantic Slave Trade Overview

The Atlantic Slave Trade

• Millions of Africans were captured and shipped to the Americas between the 1500s and 1800s.
• Slavery has existed globally since recorded history, but it has only been considered immoral in the last 150 years becoming almost non-existent.
• Slaves were from various backgrounds: farmers, merchants, priests, soldiers, artists, fathers, and mothers of all ages.

Origins

• Labor shortages in the Americas fueled the Atlantic slave trade.
• European planters needed workers for sugar, coffee, and tobacco plantations.
• Many early slaves were captured following wars between tribes.

African Slaves

• Approximately 15-20 million Africans were forcibly transported to the Americas.
• Most were from the coast of West Africa.
• Others were abducted in raids by slave traders.
• Slaves were exchanged for European goods not readily available in Africa.

Trade Network (Triangular Trade)

• The Atlantic slave trade was part of a larger network known as the Triangular Trade.
• Ships carried European goods to Africa to exchange for enslaved people.
• The second leg of the journey, the Middle Passage, brought Africans to the Americas to be sold.
• The third leg involved transporting American products back to Europe, completing the cycle.
• Some traders sailed directly from the Americas to Africa, bypassing Europe.

Goods Traded

• Goods traded in the Triangular Trade included: European goods (guns, gunpowder, alcohol, cowrie shells, glass beads, iron, copper, and bronze manillas)—for Africans; enslaved people for the Americas; agricultural products (cotton, tobacco, cocoa, rum, Caribbean delicacies, and sugar) from the Americas to Europe.

The Middle Passage

• The Middle Passage was a horrific journey across the Atlantic.
• Captive Africans were chained and crammed into overcrowded, unsanitary quarters below the deck.
• Living conditions were extremely harsh, with many slaves succumbing to diseases, starvation, or physical abuse.
• The journey lasted from three to six weeks, and 10-20% of the enslaved people died on the voyage.

Slavery in the Colonies

• Most enslaved people worked on plantations (sugar, coffee, cotton, and cocoa)
• Some also worked in mines, towns, countryside and crafted goods.
• Women were often assigned domestic duties.
• Living conditions for enslaved people were harsh, with physical punishment frequent for minor infractions.
• The enslaved were considered property under the law and had no rights or freedoms, and were treated harshly and cruelly.

Effects of the Slave Trade

• The slave trade devastated West African societies.
• 15-20 million people were forcibly transported to the Americas
• Millions died in transit, and millions were deprived of freedom and basic rights.
• Many Africans were forced into servitude. Their forced labor did not enrich their homeland.
• Populations were devastated and cultural heritage lost

Explore the complex history of the Atlantic Slave Trade, which saw millions of Africans forcibly transported to the Americas from the 1500s to 1800s. This quiz covers the origins of labor shortages, the backgrounds of African slaves, and the triangular trade network that facilitated this tragic history.