Section 4 Africa and the Atlantic Slave trade

I. Slavery in the Americas A. 1400’s Portugal explored the west coast of Africa and began capturing and trading slaves B. The Spanish and the Portuguese imported slaves into the Americas when the population of Native Americans declined. Needed the slaves to work the sugar plantations and in the silver and gold mines. C. English colonies also enslaved people 1. They used the workers in large numbers for tobacco and sugar cane crops in the South 2. These crops required cheap labor in order to make a profit

D. European colonists preferred Africans to other workers because their culture and religion were so different from their own that they could make and excuse for enslaving them E. Between 1500 and 1800 the slave trade thrived, bringing many Africans into the developing countries F. The African influx into the colonies also had an effect on the developing culture of the Americas. Africans brought their traditions and values with them which helped them to survive

II. Triangular Trade A. The trade of slaves was only one part of the bigger trade pattern known as triangular trade because it had 3 sides 1. The 1st side was Europe where manufactured goods were loaded onto ships 2. The ships traveled to side two, Africa, where the goods were traded for slaves 3. The slaves were taken to side three-America. There the slaves were traded for raw materials which were sent to Europe

Europe Raw materials Man. goods America Africa Slaves

B. The passage from Africa to America across the Atlantic was known as the Middle Passage and had 20% death rate C. Slavery became vital to the economic stability of several American colonies

COPY and answer 1. What event helped lead the Spanish to enslave labor in their American Colonies? 2. What part of the British colonies was slaver most common? 3. Why do you think slavery was lesson common in the other colonies 4. What was the Middle Passage? 5. What eventually happened to eliminated slavery in the British colonies?