A slave is someone who is forced to work through violence or the threat of it, they are under the complete control of their ‘owners’.. They are treated as property and sometimes bought and sold. They have no rights, no individual freedom.

THE STONE AGE Hunter-gatherer societies did not have enough food to feed extra mouths, so did not have slaves. ANCIENT CIVILISATIONS All Ancient civilisations - whether in Europe, the Middle East, Asia or the Americas - made use of slavery.. Western slavery goes back 10,000 years to Mesopatamia (present day Iraq). MEDIEVAL EUROPE FORCED LABOURSLAVE GIRLSGLADIATORS Slavery often took place in the name of religion – Christians, Muslims and Jews all took part. THE TRANS ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE The Portuguese started the Atlantic slave trade, soon to be joined by the Spanish. Christopher Columbus’ conquest of the Caribbean virtually wiped out the native Indians. They were to be replaced by slaves brought from Africa. GROWTH OF ABOLITION MOVEMENT, 18 TH CENTURY – BRITAIN DECLARES SLAVE TRADE ILLEGAL 1808 – USA DECLARES SLAVE TRADE ILLEGAL 1833 – SLAVERY DECLARED ILLEGAL ACROSS THE BRITISH EMPIRE – AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

Slave market in Yemen showing African slaves, 13 century AD. THE ARAB TRADE Slaves had been transported across the Sarahan region to the Middle East since Ancient times. Europeans began to dominate the African trade from the 16 th century onwards. A series of trading forts were built along the African coast to protect European traders interests. Slaves were brought to the coastal areas where they were sold to European slave traders

King Tegbesu of Dahomy, made around HK$3,000,000 from selling Africans in about Tegbesu is shown here entertaining some European slave traders. Sale of Slaves by Tribal chiefs Prisoners of Tribal Wars. Kidnappin gs Crimina ls Royal Wives Potential plotters against the Tribal chief

Captured slaves often had to trek hundreds of miles from the interior to the slave coast, where the European slave ships awaited them. They were linked together in ‘coffles’, iron, or shown here, wooden collars and clinking chains.

A dealer checks the condition of newly arrived slaves for bad teeth or grey hair. PHYSICAL CHECKS BRANDING Once bought the slave was then branded with the owner’s initials or mark. Most brands were of silver because wounds healed faster than those made eith iron.

Slaves on reaching the coast and awaitingthe arrival of slave ships were kept in slave barracks called ‘barracoons’. Shown below, are other methods of detaining slaves.

CHEAP MANUFACTURED GOODS Trinkets – pots, pans, beads, shells, cloth FIRST STAGE – EUROPE TO AFRICA Cheap trinkets exchanged for slaves TRIBAL CHIEFS EXCHANGE SLAVES, OR SLAVES ARE CAPTURED SECOND STAGE - THE MIDDLE PASSAGE SLAVE TRADERS THEN SOLD THE SLAVES TO PLANTATION OWNERS THE ‘MIDDLE PASSAGE’ – THE JOURNEY ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.. THIRD STAGE – RAW MATERIALS SENT TO EUROPE Profits from slave sales were used to buy produce from the plantations eg. sugar, tobacco, cotton, which were sold for great profit in Europe. SLAVES WERE USED ON PLANTATIONS, GROWING SUGAR, TOBACCO, COTTON. Brazil Caribbean Islands Mexico U.S.A.