ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE

European slave traders in Africa did not seize land from natives and colonize the coast, as they were doing in their New World Settlements. Instead, they established a relationship with local leaders, who allowed them to maintain trading ports along the coast. Most slaves were supplied by African rulers in exchange for European firearms or other goods. Others were kidnapped on slave raids organized by European traders. Captured Africans were marched to slave ships where they became part of a network called the Triangular Trade.

TRIANGULAR TRADE Leg 1: Ships carried European goods to Africa to be exchanged for slaves. Leg 2: MIDDLE PASSAGE – Ships brought Africans to the Americas to be sold as slaves. Leg 3: Ships carried American products such as sugar, tobacco, and rice to Europe.

MIDDLE PASSAGE “The stench of the hold... was so intolerably loathsome, that it was dangerous to remain there for any time... The closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate... almost suffocated us... The shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole scene of horror almost inconceivable.” - Olaudah Equiano

For the journey to the Americas on the Middle Passage, captive Africans were chained together and forced into dark, cramped spaces where they were unable to sit or stand. This journey normally lasted 3 – 6 weeks % of the captive Africans would not survive the voyage to the New World. Their lives awaiting them in the Americas were still full of terror.

The Atlantic Slave Trade lasted over 400 years, sending more than 15 million to the Americas, and millions more to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Countless died before making to their end destination. Slave raiders would capture the strongest young people who should have been the new leaders in their communities. Some African tribes would wage war against their neighbors to gain captives for trade. The labor of African slaves did not benefit Africa, but it helped build the economies of many American colonies, as well as in other parts of the world. People of African decent spread through the Americas and Western Europe – African Diaspora. African Diaspora introduced African music, art, religion, and food through out the Western world.