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Slavery and Triangle Trade
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Triangle Trade
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European Background Portuguese started African slave trade in 1441
First Africans in Hispanola in 1505 ~12 million Africans sent to Americas
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The British colonies in North America received only 4% of the total slaves from Africa. Brazil and the West Indies- received about 80% combined.
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Why Africans? Skilled workers
Native Americans dying off Some degree of disease resistance No muskets and gunpowder Africans participated in trade by enslaving others, selling debtors and criminals, and kidnapping Skilled workers Knew how to extract precious ore from mines Familiar with soils and crops Not familiar with the land—making escape less likely Picture: Cape Coast Castle, W. Africa
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Portuguese Slave Trade
The Portuguese population was too small to provide a large number of colonists. The sugar plantations required a large labor force. Slaves filled this demand. Europeans and Africans Meet to Trade
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Triangular Trade The triangular trade demonstrates how people were reduced to commodities to be sold. Goods such as metal, cloth, beads and guns went from Britain to Africa, enslaved Africans went to America and the Caribbean, and raw products such as sugar, tobacco and cotton came back to Britain. Show the picture of the sugar nippers. · One of the reasons the trade lasted for so long was because it was incredibly profitable. The British appeared to have an insatiable appetite for luxury goods from the Caribbean, especially sugar and this demand fuelled supply. · Before the twentieth century, sugar came in cones from which chunks would be nipped off and used to sweeten the bitter taste of coffee, chocolate and tea. What people consumed in one part of the world altered forever the lives of those from other parts of the world.
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Slave Trade and Sugar Portuguese crop growers extended the use of slave labor to South America. Because of this, Brazil would eventually become the wealthiest of the sugar-producing lands in the western hemisphere. Brazilians still speak Portuguese not Spanish.
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European Slave Trade With the arrival of the Europeans the demand for slaves in the Americas increased significantly. As disease reduced the native populations in Spanish conquered territories, the Spanish began relying on imported slaves from Africa.
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Plantations The first was established by the Spanish on Hispaniola in 1516. Originally the predominant crop was sugar. In addition to sugar, plantations produced crops like tobacco, indigo, and cotton. In the 1530s Portuguese began organizing plantations in Brazil, and Brazil became the world’s leading supplier of sugar.
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Brazilian sugar mill in the 1830s
Labor intensive= HARD WORK Relied almost exclusively on large amounts of slave labor supervised by small numbers of European or Euro-American managers. Plantations Brazilian sugar mill in the 1830s
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Justification- Why? Slavery made development of the New World profitable $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $
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Slavery Expands In 1518, the first shipment of slaves went directly from West Africa to the Caribbean where the slaves worked on sugar plantations. By the 1520s, the Spanish had introduced slaves to Mexico, Peru, and Central America where they worked as farmers and miners. By the early 17th century, the British had introduced slaves to North America.
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Impact of Slave Trade on the Americas
Diverse Culture- Cultural Diffusion- Africans brought part of their culture (like music food, traditions, Language) to the Americas. Made Latin American colonies (Brazil) wealthy
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Exportation Trip called the Middle Passage
5000 miles, 3 wks. to 3 mos. 20-25% died Strip Africans’ self respect and self identity
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The Middle Passage Chained in darkness and filth, seasickness and disease were rife. The heat in the hold could be over 30°c and the slaves would have no access to toilets or washing facilities. So foul was the smell of slave ships that other vessels took care to steer well away from them. In such conditions disease spread, and many slaves died.
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The Middle Passage Many slave captains were notorious for their cruelty. The actual voyage could take from 6 weeks to three months. It has been estimated that between 9-11 million people were taken from Africa by European traders and landed alive on the other side of the Atlantic. But 1½ million Africans are buried in the Atlantic Ocean between Africa and the Americas. It was reported that schools of sharks would follow the ships waiting for their next meal.
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Slave Master Brands Slaves were taken from the holding forts, Chained together in pairs with leg-irons and carried to the ships. Once aboard they were branded with a red-hot iron, like cattle, to show who owned them and their clothes removed.
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Inspection and Sale The slave owners wanted big men that could work hard. The ship captains kept bringing them what they wanted. What effect did this have on African Society, culture, and economy?
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