The Slave Trade in Africa It was old and all over the place African kingdoms and Islamic nations traded –Not race based Arab merchants and West African kings imported white slaves from Europe –West African slave trade dealt mainly in women and children who would serve as concubines and servants European demand for farm workers changed slave trading patterns

The Origins of the Atlantic Slave Trade In 15th century, slaves used as house servants in Spain and Portugual Other European countries had large work forces and little need for slaves Purchased from African traders –Portugal and Spain dominated slave trade in 16th century –Dutch dominated 17th century –English dominated 18th century

Bronze Sculpture West African artists recorded the appearance of Europeans who came to trade in gold, ivory, and human beings. This Benin bronze relief sculpture, dating to the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century, portrays two Portuguese men. SOURCE: Werner Forman, Art Resource, NY

Growth of the Atlantic Slave Trade Demand for labor in 1500s century Spanish gold and silver mines Portuguese sugar plantations Tobacco, rice and indigo Native American Slaves wiped out, right as European settlers’ farms need workers

Estimated Slave Imports by Destination, 1451–1870

The Atlantic and Islamic Slave Trades Map 2–1. The Atlantic and Islamic Slave Trades. Not until 1600 did the Atlantic slave trade reach the proportions of the Islamic slave trade. This map shows the principal sources of slaves, primary routes, and major destinations.

Growth of the Atlantic Slave Trade Harsher in the Americas –Based on race –Most were males Believed they were stronger laborers than females West African women did farm work –Often withheld from trade –Agricultural workers –Chattel Lost rights as human beings

Slave Colonies of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries Map 2–2. Slave Colonies of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. This map indicates regions in North America, the West Indies, and South America that had, during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, significant populations of enslaved people of African descent.

The African-American Ordeal from Capture to Destination Slavery: result of war between kingdoms European traders provided firearms –Did not instigate fighting