COMMERCE IN PEOPLE:THE ATLANTIC SLAVE

TRADE

AP World History Notes: Chapter 15

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.