The Atlantic World and Slavery Chapter 18

Atlantic System Trade network across the Atlantic 1600s - West Indies very important because of tobacco (early) & sugar plantations (later) Colonies characterized by: Mercantilism & Capitalism Joint-stock companies Chartered companies Slavery

Typical Convoys 20-60 Spanish ships carrying silver & gold Annually – 250-300 sugar ships from the West Indies & Brazil Annually – 300 slave ships

Beginnings of Private Enterprise – Capitalism Backed by banks, stock exchanges, & chartered companies Dutch banks most secure Amsterdam Stock Exchange greatest through 15th century Dutch East India Company took over Indian Ocean Dutch West India Company dominated Atlantic until very late 1600s Royal African Company (British) controlled slave trade from African Gold Coast

Mercantilism Encourages Restrictions States began creating ways to limit foreigners. England – Navigation Acts (1660s) France – Exclusif (1690s) The Atlantic became Britain, France, and Portugal’s most important overseas trading area!

Sugar Plantations 1600 – Brazil world’s top sugar producer Dutch West India Company Improved efficiency Controlled 1,000 miles of coast Took control of slave trade in West Africa for the purpose of bringing them to Brazil Once Brazil reclaimed by Portugal, still used Dutch methods; then these methods spread to sugar production on the islands too: considered turning point in Atlantic System

Sugar & Slaves By late 1600s, enslaved Africans outnumbered Europeans 3 to 1 on the islands Barbados – wealthiest; surpassed Brazil’s production by 1700 Early 1600s – 10,000 slaves per year Late 1600s – 20,000 slaves per year Late 1700s – just under 60,000 slaves per year

Why African Slaves? Old Theory – more suited BUT – both Europeans & Africans died in the tropics (same mortality rate for those born there) Old Theory – prejudice “Slavery was not born of racism: rather, racism was the consequence of slavery.” Eric Williams New Theory – lower cost of African labor

Why African Slaves? Indentured servants cheaper at first BUT then they leave Initial investment in slaves more, but in the long run the investment pays off more Also as land becomes more expensive, freed indentured servants cannot afford to buy it, so they stop indenturing themselves

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

Atlantic Circuit (Triangular Trade) 1. Europe to Africa – manufactured European goods traded for gold & slaves 2. Africa to Americas (AKA – Middle Passage) 3. Americas to Europe – plantation goods

Middle Passage 6-10 weeks Mortality rate went from 23% to about 11% by the end of slave trade Most deaths because of disease rather than mistreatment Dysentery Small pox

The Fight for Colonies Profits from sugar drove England & France to establish more colonies 1655 – English took Jamaica from Spain 1670s – French took western half of Hispaniola from Spain (Haiti); in 1700s it became the world’s largest sugar producer

Effects of Sugar on the Environment Soil exhaustion & deforestation That’s why they would island hop By 18th century – nearly all domesticated animals and cultivated plants in Caribbean were “Old World” Essentially all indigenous peoples on islands were wiped out (disease) Replaced by African population

Lives of Slaves 90% of pop on islands was slaves 18 hour work days 2-3% house servants 70% field laborers Children did light labor Elderly tended toddlers Punishments included: flogging, confinement, mutilations, & iron muzzles

Lives of Slaves Cont. Poor nutrition & hard labor lowered fertility High infant mortality rate High miscarriage rate Even with all of this, the main reason for death was DISEASE! –1/3 of new arrivals died

Majority of slaves imported rather than natural born African religious beliefs, speech, dress, & music Required slaves to learn colonial languages by deliberately mixing the slaves from different parts of Africa (as a way to curve rebellions) Enforced Catholicism – combined with African religions RESULT?