Olaudah Equiano and the Triangular Trade

Olaudah Equiano

• Olaudah Equiano was an enslaved African who wrote about his experience of being captured and transported to the Americas

The Triangular Trade

• The triangular trade refers to the Atlantic trade routes linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas
• This trade system connected different parts of the world and consisted of three legs
• European merchants would trade manufactured goods for enslaved Africans in Africa
• Enslaved Africans were transported to the Americas to be sold as labor
• Colonial products, such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton were then transported from the Americas back to Europe

The Middle Passage

• The second leg of the triangular trade is known as the Middle Passage
• During the Middle Passage, enslaved Africans were transported across the Atlantic to the Americas

Impact of the Triangular Trade

• The triangular trade enriched European merchants and fueled industrialization in Europe
• European economies thrived on the profits generated from the trade of enslaved Africans and the exploitation of colonial resources
• This system had devastating effects on Africa, leading to loss of population, culture, and disruption of economies
• It is estimated that over 11 million Africans were forcibly transported to the Americas during the slave trade
• Millions of Africans, experiencing immense suffering and loss of life, succumbed to brutal conditions during the Middle Passage and the enslavement that followed
• The economic and cultural impact of the slave trade resonates throughout history and continues to shape narratives of race, power, and inequality in the world today.