Africa & the Transatlantic Slave Trade American Indians succumbed to disease as laborers in colonies “1 st the Portuguese, then Spanish, Dutch, French, English & Americans turned to West, central, and, to a lesser degree, southeastern Africa for an ample supply of slaves.” Portuguese monopoly until 1640s when Dutch arrive French & English involved late 17 th century During 18 th century, greatest slave shipments, French & English carried ½ slave traffic Britain & America outlaw slave trade in 1807

Brief Background Slavery not a new practice Slave institutions in sub- saharan Africa were ancient Slave trafficking practiced by Islamic states of SW Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, Mediterranean, & Europe African slave trade part of larger commercial system

Slavery in Africa Oriental slave trade=Islamic states of Mediterranean & SW Asia with Africa before 15 th century & indiginous trading (Sudan & Horn of Africa) Occidental slave trade=European slave trade, originating in 13 th century with plantations in Cyprus, Brazil, Caribbean, Atlantic islands (west & central Africa) Portuguese used plantation system, so needed slaves Started in savannah & Horn, then 15 th century open west coast to Angola By 1650, occidental started to surpass oriental External trade drained African male population, internal female slave trade grew By 1850, external trade replaced by internal trade, formal end of African slavery between

Africans in the Trade Except for the Portuguese in central Africa, European slave traders obtained slaves from gov’t sponsored African middlemen at forts or coastal anchorages Europeans built forts for traders, needed to avoid disease Slaves originally bartered, then monetary payment

Goree Island slave fort’s “Door of No Return” on Senegalese coast

Sources of Slaves Major sources of slaves for Atlantic trade – Kongo-Angola (34%) Guinea coast of Cape Verde (25.6%) Senegambia (23.5%) – FRENCH –Angola (52%) –Benin (24%) –Senegambia (4.8%) BRITISH –Bight of Biafra (Nigeria) –Central Africa

Extent of Slave Trade Occidental slave trade over time: –Before 1600 (3%) – (14%) – (60%) – (20%) Europe tried to stop trading in early 1800s Portuguese continued; 500,000+ slaves to Brazil between Total # of slaves traded still debated, somewhere between 11 & 13 millions Africans in Atlantic slave trade over 4 centuries

Trans-Atlantic imports by region RegionNumber % Brazil4,000, Spanish Empire2,500, British West Indies2,000, French West Indies1,600, British North America 500, /United States Dutch West Indies500, Danish West Indies28, Europe (and Islands)200, Total11,328, Data derived from table II as presented in: Thomas, Hugh. The Slave Trade. Simon & Schuster, ISBN

Brooks Slave Ship British ship Ship 25’ wide, 100’ long As many as 609 slaves Space per slave 78” by 16”

Consequences of Slave Trade Scale of Atlantic trade was unprecedented Population changes, down &, perhaps up due to importation of American food crops Impact varied by region Caused increase in indigenous slavery Disrupted previous market & political structures Disturbed male-female ratio & thus birthrate patterns Caused African energies to be counterproductive or even destructive

Facts from “Africans in Mexico” exhibit at Mexican Fine Arts Center Isabella & Ferdinand expelled “Moors” back to Africa; the Moors had previously ruled Spain for 700 years!!! Total Number of Enslaved Africans –Brazil – 4,000,000 –Spanish Colonial America – 2,250,000 –Mexico – 250,000 –British West Indies – 2,000,000 –British North America (United States) – 500,000 –Other – 2,328,000