The Atlantic System

The systems of trade connecting Africa, Europe,

and the Americas

Triangular TradeStage One: Goods to Africa

• In the first stage, merchants shipped cotton goods (bought from India), weapons, and manufactured goods to Africa in exchange for slaves or gold.

• Africans vying for power (Dahomey, Ashante) used guns and luxury items to compel and cajole their way to larger territorial conquests

Stage Two: The Middle Passage

• Africans were taken across the Atlantic to the Americas and sold.

• Plantocracy rested on slave trade to manufacture sugar for growing consumption.

• Majority to Brazil, Caribbean

Stage Three: Goods to Europe

• Merchants sent the plantations’ products to Europe, where they were used to buy manufactured products to be sold in Africa.

• Europe’s sea power allowed them to be the prime movers in the trading systems of the world, yielding dynamic economies and leading to sea-based Empires and power (eg: 1600s - Dutch, 17-1800s - British)

The Amistad

Your Turn1. Break into groups of 4

2. Brainstorm two questions: 5 minutes each!

3. Jot ideas from your group’s discussion at the bottom of your notes. If called on, be ready to discuss.

1. How and why were contacts between Africans and European areas different from contacts between Africans and Islamic areas?

2. To what extent was Africa in control of the slave trade? To what extent was Europe in control of the situation?

Discussion

• In reading “Slavery and Human Society,” think about the following:– How has slavery differed in different cultures

and over time? What makes African slavery in the Americas unique?

– What are some main points about justifications for human slavery?

– Why was the 18th century different?