The Atlantic Slave Trade

The Atlantic Slave Trade From 1500 to 1866 About 12.5 million Africans The Middle Passage About 10.7 million survived the voyage About 1.8 million died while crossing the Atlantic Ocean

The Trade transformed people It transformed Africans Societies were disrupted, strengthened, or corrupted African elites often enriched The slaves were victimized It transformed Europeans Made some very rich It created “American culture” European + African (+ Native) New ideas, traditions, diets, etc. The African Diaspora – the global spread of Africa peoples No trade had a more profound impact on the modern world

Slavery Before 1500 Mediterranean and Indian Ocean Southern Russia major source of slaves African societies practiced slavery

Slavery in the Americas Was Unique ❶ The size ❷ Central to the economies ❸ Plantation agriculture ❹ Slaves were dehumanized ❺ Slave status was inherited ❻ Little hope of freedom ❼ Race – all slaves were African

Origins of Atlantic Slave Trade Mediterranean sugar plantations Difficult and dangerous work Planters had a hard time finding labor So planters turned to slave labor Slavic Speaking peoples from Black Sea region 1453 – Fall of Constantinople cuts off that source of slaves

Africa becomes primary source Portuguese find slaves on West Coast of Africa Africa become primary source of slaves because. . . ❶ Slavic peoples not available ❷ Native Americans die easily ❸ Europeans were Christians ❹ European indentured servants were expensive and temporary

The advantage of Africans Skilled farmers Immunity to tropical and European diseases Not Christians Close at hand – Africa is next to Europe Available in substantial numbers Africans were black – European racism rationalized enslavement

Africans & Europeans Trade slaves Both Africans and Europeans took part in the slave trade African merchants operated in the interior Europeans waited on the coast to purchase slaves European buyers gave Africans a variety of items Which they had purchased with silver

The experiences of the slaves ✸ seized in the interior ✸ often sold several times before reaching the coast ✸ sometimes branded ✸ held in horrible dungeons ✸ Millions of Africans experienced these horrors over 400 years ✸ The numbers increased over time

Where did they come from? West and South-Central Africa Initially from the coastal regions Later from the interior From marginal social groups Africans did not sell their own people

Where did the Slaves end UP? Vast majority ended up in Brazil and the Caribbean Smaller numbers went to North America, Spanish America, and Europe 14% died during the “Middle Passage – (crossing the Atlantic)

Africans resisted slavery Some resisted while crossing the Atlantic Most common form of resistance was “silent sabotage” Sabotaging the efficiency of the plantation by leaving gates open, hobbling mules, breaking tools, etc Slaves stole (“taking”) food Faked illness Worked slowly

Escaping slavery Another common form of rebellion was to runaway Creating free communities of former slaves “Maroon societies” were established in remote regions Maroon societies were common in South America and the Caribbean Maroon societies were rare in British North America Maroon societies were often racially mixed

Large scale rebellions Large-scale rebellions were rare Small-scale rebellion were brutally crushed Haitian Revolution (1790s) only successful large-scale rebellion

Slave trade linked Africa to the world Africa made permanent part of the an interacting Atlantic world Millions of Africans were forced to live in the Americas Before 1800, Africans outnumbered Europeans in the Americas West Africa became tied to a European-centered world economy

Impact on Africa The slave trade slowed Africa’s population growth Led to commercial stagnation in Africa Only those who sold people benefitted No technological breakthroughs in agriculture or industry

Impact on African women Many sold into slavery – though most slaves were men Those who remained in Africa had to work harder Polygamy increased A small number of women benefitted

Impact on African Civilizations Impact of slave trade differed from place to place and over time Smaller societies disrupted Some kingdoms destroyed Kongo and Oya Some kingdoms survived Benin and Dahomey