1. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
Forced Migration of Millions

2. The Demand: Labor in the New World
Conquistadors, work, and disease
Up to 85% of the total native American population is killed
#1 Cause: disease
following disease, execution & overwork caused massive numbers of deaths

3. Smallpox & Native Americans

4. A Lonely Voice in the Wilderness 1474-1556
Bartolome de las Casas
Catholic Priest
Champion of native American causes
Argued for the equality of treatment of native Americans
Claims they are as complex and intelligent as Europeans

5. The Labor Supply: Indentured Servants from Europe

6. The Labor Supply: Africa
Africans live in an area of low productivity, which encourages business, rather than agriculture, as the basis of existence
Africans naturally resistant to both smallpox & malaria
Africans used to hard work
Africans, like Europeans, have participated in a slave trade throughout history

7. Arab Slave Traders

8. Dutch Map of Africa: 1663

9. Slave Trade Map: West Africa

10. 11-year old Olaudah Equiano of Nigeria - 1750’s
One day, when all our people were gone out to their works as usual, and only I and my dear sister were left to mind the house, two men and a woman got over our walls, and in a moment seized us both; and, without giving us time to cry out, or make resistance, they stopped our mouths, and ran off with us into the nearest wood. Here they tied our hands, and continued to carry us as far as they could, till night came on (
11-year old Olaudah Equiano of Nigeria ’s

11. Slave Coffle: The Inland Passage

12. The Middle Passage, Part I
The branded slaves, after this, are returned to their former booth, where the factor is to subsist them at his own charge, which amounts to about two- pence a day for each of them, with bread and water, which is all their allowance. There they continue sometimes ten or fifteen days, till the sea is still enough to send them aboard; for very often it continues too boisterous for so long a time, unless in January, February and March, which is commonly the calmest season: and when it is so, the slaves are carried off by parcels, in bar- canoes, and put aboard the ships in the road. Before they enter the canoes, or come out of the booth, their former Black masters strip them of every rag they have, without distinction of men or women; to supply which, in orderly ships, each of them as they come aboard is allowed a piece of canvas, to wrap around their waist, which is very acceptable to those poor wretches....

13. Slave Market on the Gambia River

14. Body Positions on board the Aurore, 1784

15. The Middle Passage Experience
This produced copious perspirations so that the air became unfit for respiration from a variety of loathsome smells, and brought on a sickness among the slaves, of which many died- - thus falling victims of the improvident avarice, as I may call it, of their purchasers. This wretched situation was again aggravated by the galling of the chains, which now became insupportable, and the filth of the necessary tubs [toilets] into which the children often fell and were almost suffocated. The shrieks of the women and the groans of the dying rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable. ( )
The Middle Passage Experience

16. Slave sales

17. Slave conditions

18. Punishments

19. British Abolition, 1807 & 1838

20. Slavery in the United States

21. Slavery today