1. The Atlantic System and Africa, 1550-1800
Chapter 18

2. Plantations in the West Indies
Where Columbus discovered America
And the Native population first crashed
They are remade after 1650 into sugar plantations worked by African slaves
Neglected by the Spanish initially as they turned their attention to the precious metals of Latin America
Tobacco tried initially, worked by European indentured servants
But the Portuguese had developed a model on Atlantic islands off of their coasts—sugar plantations worked by African slaves
And the Dutch saw the commercial viability of this venture
Dutch cash and commercial expertise made sugar plantations a go

3. Sugar Lands cleared and worked until the soils lost fertility
Cane cut and juice crushed out of them
Juice boiled to remove water
Areas deforested to provide the means to boil the syrup
Thick syrup dried until it is sugar
The system favored large producers
Labor provided by Africans
Very short life expectancy, 1/3 died in the first year, average life expectancy for a man was 23 in Brazil
The capital outlay for a Caribbean sugar plantation was high, but they made quite a bit

4. The Atlantic Economy
Archaic and cruel slavery, but modern its commercial efficiency, backed by investors and governments
Not government sponsored monopolies like in Latin America, but private enterprises
Modern capitalism depends on credit granted by large banks or stock exchanges
And state protection and insurance
In the 17th century trusted banks, beginning in the Netherlands had cash to lend individuals or joint stock ventures that wanted to make money in the New World

5. Mercantilism The control of profits from a colony
Hopefully to end up with a net profit in gold or silver
Strongly discouraged trading with foreigners and some 17th century wars were about getting rid of foreigners holdings
Mercantilism was meant to foster competition among ones own citizens, and leave foreigners out of it
The Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company
Royal Africa Company (British)
Supported by military—French and British forced the Dutch out of the Caribbean
England passed a series of navigation acts that confined colonies trading to English ships and cargoes
Pressured Spain into granting monopoly rights to supply slaves

6. The Atlantic Circuit Clockwise network
Europe to Africa with metal goods including guns, and Indian cotton textiles
Used to purchase slaves, transported across the Atlantic
Plantation goods taken to Europe
Each leg made money for the Mercantile power

7. Other Routes
Gold from Africa and silver from the New World to the Indian Ocean for silks and spices
Brazilian tobacco to Africa for slaves, and Brazilian tobacco to Canada for furs
The flow of sugar depended on the flow of slaves

8. Africa and Trade
Slow increase in the proportion of the slave trade relative to other African trade products
Europeans dependent on the good will of Africans to trade
And did not take over political control of coastal areas
Africans also insisted on competitive trading, and would not allow monopoly trading
Africans also insisted on substantial customs payments with local kings from traders
Most slaves were prisoners of war obtained from the interior, this was a long time tradition in most of the world
Strangely, Africans had more power over their lands during the slave trade, than they will after the slave trade ends

9. In Biafra
Part of present day Nigeria and the setting of Things Fall Apart, a novel we will read in April
Inland markets evolved in this densely populated area without a tradition of centralized rule
Debtors, victims of kidnapping and convicted criminals sold to slavers at large markets
African merchants bought Africans and took them to the coast

10. In Angola The Portuguese controlled this area exclusively
The greatest source of African slaves for the New World, mainly Brazil
Slaves sold at markets were prisoners of war from as far as miles inland, vicitms of wars of expansion
Woman and children were generally kept and assimilated, men, who were mostly who the slavers wanted anyway, passed on to Europeans

11. Why?
African elites benefitted from the slave trade by obtaining handsome gifts and trade goods that were used to cement relations with other groups and carry on the trade
Weapons were always highly prized European trade goods, which gave a great advantage to wars of expansion within Africa
Alcohol also a feature of this trade
Africans obtained what they needed to both trade and make war in Africa’s interior
European traders benefitted enormously from the trade
They depended on the good will and cooperation of African elites to get slaves

12. Almost No Territory
Almost no territory actually ceded to Europeans before 1800, just the cape to the Dutch and the Portuguese control of Angola
The Dutch colony did not export slaves, and actually imported them from Madagascar, South Asia and the East Indies
Other than that local African rulers kept close tabs on the European trading posts permitted along the Gold and Slave coasts, and profited from this relationship

13. Islamic Contacts
North Africa included in the Islamic world within the first century of Islamic expansion
Sub-Saharan Africans gradually learned of Islam via traders who came across the Sahara in camel caravans, and on the East Coast via Indian Ocean trade
In the 16th century, Ottomans annexed all of North Africa, except Morocco
And Christian Ethiopia lost territory to the Ottomans, as well

14. The Expansive Songhai
This Empire of West Africa, ruled by indigenous Muslim rulers, pushed north through the Sahara and challenged Morocco in the late 16th century
The Songhai drew their wealth from the trans-Saharan trade
Morocco sent and army south, and with firearms were able to conquer the Songhai and amnexed portions of West Africa and extract massive tributes in slaves from the local population for 2 centuries

15. The Hausa
An agricultural and trading people of the central Sudan (different from the modern political entity, Sudan of today)
Controlled various Saharan trading cities, such as Timbuktu
And coordinated a great deal of the slave trade into the Islamic world
Similar to the slave trade into the Atlantic world, except alcohol forbidden in the trade
This trade was substantial, but smaller than the Atlantic slave trade
Most African slaves in the Islamic world were servants or soldiers, women and children as servants, men as soldiers
Most historians believe slaves held by Muslims did not experience the horrific treatment slaves in the Atlantic system did

16. Muslims
Saw slavery as a meritorious act, to bring pagans into the faith (Christians did as well)
It was forbidden by Islam to hold another believer as a slave, but some wavering with this
Did this apply to those not born in the faith?
And then sometimes it was forgotten completely
How different were the two slaving regions?
Many more slaves were part of the Atlantic system-about 8 million from 1550 to 1800 vs about 2 million slaves taken into Islamic regions

17. Effects on Africa
Even at the peak in the 1700’s, sub-Saharan population remained large
Localities that contributed many slaves suffered acute population loss
How well the population recovered had to do with the number of women lost, and since the Atlantic slavers were more interested in men, the long term demographic effects were reduced
Economically, imports were limited and did not seem to damage local industries, and taxes collected were helpful
But no question, most of the profit went to Europeans