African American Immigration The Beginnings

Forced Immigration Africans immigration = forced immigration Slave trade started in 1510 by the Portuguese under licenses issued by Ferdinand and Spanish Originated as Portuguese attempted to bypass Muslim North Africans by sailing around the West Coast

Forced Immigration… Later the slave trade was dominated by Dutch and English African immigration started with a few people captured in small #s Eventually slaves were traded with kingdom leaders in larger numbers

Where they came from European interests were mainly on the West Coast of Africa “Senegambia” They wanted gold ‘Gold Coast”= Ghana

The Transatlantic Slave Trade 1 st phase- First hundred years characterized by small #’s of slaves transported to Europe and surrounding islands and heavily in the Spanish colonies -many carried to Hispaniola for sugar and gold

The Transatlantic Slave Trade 2 nd phase , most intense phase of the trade, impacted the United States Carried to the U.S for rice, indigo, tobacco, and cotton Carried to other locations in Americas for cocoa, sugar, mining, and coffee

The Transatlantic Slave Trade 3 rd Phase ’s started when the slave trade was banned in Britain and U.S. However, numbers did not decline until 1840’s Slaves taken mainly to Caribbean and South America Small #’s smuggled into the U.S (the Amistad)

Middle Passage Part of the triangular trade=from Africa to America Over 30k voyages documented Voyages lasted 1-3 months Only supposed to transfer 350 people but most carried over 800 Approx. 450,000 slaves transported to U.S (5% of slaves traded)

Middle Passage’s significance to Africans -many people were branded and naked throughout the voyage -personal identity denied -required to lay down entire trip -deck hands forced them to dance -Many attempted to starve themselves but were force fed -Usually 20% died during the voyage from disease, thrown overboard -Many established relationships with the people they were on the ship with ( batiments- French, sippi- Suriname)