Slavery vs. SilverWhich had a BIGGER impact on the world?

By: Shaimaa Hassan, Colleen Daly By: Tyler Lopez, and John Adeyeye

Vs.

How It All Began

BY: Shaimaa Hassan, and Colleen Daly

Slavery:

Who?• Who were traded as slaves?- Native Africans were traded in both the Atlantic Slave trade and the Trans-Saharan Slave trade. Majority of the people sold on the Trans-Saharan Slave trade consisted of women; to be used as domestic servants in North Africa and the Middle East, but the Atlantic Slave trade concentrated on men; they were valued for physical strength, necessary for hard work in plantation fields

• Who traded slaves?- The Portuguese were the first to trade slaves within Africa, they brought African rulers slaves, that were sold to them from other African rulers/princes in order to become rich, and were given ivory, pepper, animal skins, and gold in return

- Later Portuguese traded slaves and transported them internationally, and even later other countries, such as England and Spain, began to trade slaves as well.

• Who controlled the slave trade?- For 150 years the Portuguese controlled the trade and took most of the slaves to Brazil and the Spanish colonies, but then other countries infiltrated the Portuguese’s monopoly slave trade and began trading slaves.

What?

• What is a slave?• A slave is a person help in servitude as the chattel of another.• What is the modern name for slavery?• The modern name for slavery is human trafficking• What were slaves exchanged for?• Slaves were traded for firearms, molasses that were made into rum,

and other goods.• What was the impact of slavery?• Slavery helped to bring diseases to the new world, because the slave

ships were in poor condition. So about one-third of the slaves died on board the ship while on the route in the middle passage.

Where?• Where were the slaves from?• Most of the slaves were from all over Africa where they were taken from their

homes. After they were kidnapped they would wait for a slave ship to arrive in a “slave factory”

• Where were the slaves transported to?• They were brought to the New World, Europe, Western Asia, Arabia, and

India.

• Where is slavery still today? • Slavery still exists in the United States even though it is now illegal. Plus, in

Latin America, South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, and North Africa.

When?

• When did the slave trade take place?- 1450-1750: Slave trade was not new to Africa but before it was only within

continent, now it was international- 1441: First shipment of African Slaves brought directly from Africa to

Portugal- After 1550 slave trade grew significantly in volume and complexity - 1562: Beginnings of English Slave trade

Why?• Why were Africans used as slaves?• Africans were used as slaves, because their skin color made

them stand out. Their dark skin color made it nearly impossible for them to escape successfully.

• Also they were said to be more fit in the tropical conditions of the New World rather than the Europeans.

• Africans built up an immunity to a lot of the European diseases.

How?• How where slaves transported from Africa to the Americas (and other

regions)?- Through the Middle Passage on overcrowded slave ships. It was a long journey that

took anywhere between 4 and 10 weeks, depending on weather. Some slaves didn’t make it; deaths caused by contagious disease, bad food, dynasty and refusal to eat. Others died from whippings or on occasion execution

• How did trade become more prominent?- Portugal and other European countries realized that instead of raiding and kidnapping

slaves that trade was much more secure and profitable way to get slaves

• How did other countries begin trading slaves?- Demand for slaves grew in the Caribbean , so other European countries that owned

those islands joined the slave trade. Each country (Dutch, England, France) established trade ports along the African coastline, where their agents contacted local rulers paying a tax or offering gifts for slaves.

Impacts• Free labor allowed civilizations that used them to prosper and

advance. Since the civilizations prospered, it was used for centuries and is still in use today.

• Changed status in Africa and other places by making people slaves they were put at the bottom of the “social pyramid” in the newly populated status, slaves.

• Allowed princes and rulers to become rich from selling slaves• Helped to bring diseases to the new world, because the slave ships

were in poor condition. So about 1/3 of the slaves died on board the ship while on the route in the middle passage

• Migration of Africans to the New World and Europe (African Diaspora)

The Impact of Silver

By: John Adeyeye and Tyler Lopez

Who Did Silver Impact?

• Silver was a godsend to Europeans allowing European countries to become rich to fund their various wars.

• The Spanish sent silver to the Philippines, where it was traded for Chinese products that were sent to the Americas.

• The Japanese also supplied silver to a needy China but eventually the silver ran out.

• The Chinese needed the silver for taxes and pleasure

What Did Silver Impact?

• The Chinese traded so much silver that it lowered its value and destroyed its economy.

• China’s morals were lowered because thieves had more chances to steal with all the silver going around.

• Silver mining stimulated the Spanish-American economy, and rural estates provided abundant food for the workers, and small textile shops made their clothing.

• Silver allowed Spain to build massive armies and grand new public buildings.

Where Silver Have an Impact?

• Japanese and Spanish mines both supplied the world with silver.

• China was the main consumer of silver.• Multiple trading posts were placed in Indian Ocean

region to trade with China.• The Spanish traded silver with China in exchange for

Chinese goods and then traded these goods with European nations..

Silver Trade Map

When Did Silver Have an Impact?

• Production and the use of silver emerged in 1571 triggering the start of the world economy.

• By 1600 there were 150,000 miners working at Potosi, in Bolivia.

• Into the early 19th century, China maintained a better standard of living compared to western Europe.

• In 1750 silver fell in popularity especially since it destroyed the Chinese and Spanish economies.

Why Silver Had an Impact?

• The Chinese had an insatiable craving for silver and this mainly drove silver trading.

• Europeans wanted Chinese goods and when they found untapped silver in the New World, they realized they found something they could trade with China.

• The natives the Europeans found in the New World guaranteed free labor for silver mining.

• The Europeans had discovered slavery and saw its many benefits.

How Did Silver have an Impact?

• It ruined the Chinese and Spanish economies through inflation.

• Due to the increase in silver the value went down and Spain and other countries had basically worthless silver

• Europeans connected to the Americas because of their need for silver to trade with China and their culture impacted the natives’ cultures.

Advantages

• As Europeans settled in the Americas, because of the silver mines, the Spanish established a government called a viceroyalty which answered to the king.

• Silver mining allowed China and Spain to become very prosperous.

• Shifted power from China to Western Europe

Disadvantages

• Due to excess silver mining during the 16th and 17th centuries, the world is now running out of silver.

• Fueled the slave trade, allowing traders to purchase slaves and then dispersing them to other locations

Which had a bigger impact?

• Slavery had a definite bigger impact on the world than silver because slavery is still used today. Although silver is still a prominent mineral and is used in currency, it didn’t single-handedly affect the world on a large scale. Slavery affected people, culture, and civilizations and their economies.