1. Ch. 15 The Atlantic Slave Trade

2. When did the Atlantic slave trade take place & how many people were involve in it?
What was the journey from Africa to Americas called?
What part of a greater trade was?

3. Atlantic Slave trade Took place between mid-15th to mid-19th centuries
11 million people were shipped from Africa to the Americas (millions died during their journey)
The journey was part of the Great Circuit or Atlantic Trade Circuit( that has 3 legs)
Africa-Americas=2nd leg (Middle Passage)

4. The Great Circuit/The Atlantic circuit
Clockwise network of trade routes
Europe-Africa-Americas (the Middle Passage)-Europe
Supplemented by other trading routes:
1.Europe-Indian O.
2. “triangular” trade: New England-Africa-W Indies

6. What was the slave trade in the past?
Compare the Islamic slavery vs. Atlantic world slavery.

7. Trends of slavery in the past
Slavery trade
East African slave trade
Trans-Saharan trade( took slaves to the Medit. countries)
Slavery practice
slaves-assimilated into owners' households
Some slaves had high positions (military or polit. status, doctors, scribes)
Children of slaves: slaves or free
Atlantic world: male slaves, Islamic world: females

8. Slavery in the Americas
a )high no. of slaves b) work: plantation agric., slaves denied any rights c) Slave status: inherited d)manumission: few chances In Americas: slavery identified with “ blackness”

9. Atlantic slavery/Islamic slavery
Large no. of slaves
Male based
Plantation work, slaves seen as dehumanized property
No hopes of freedom
Racial dimension
Smaller no. of slaves
Female based
Household, servants, soldiers
Important military & political status

10. Why in Americas was a preference for African slaves?
What were the origins of Atlantic slavery? (where were the slaves used first?) Why was considered the sugar prod. The 1st modern industry?
Why in Americas was a preference for African slaves?

11. Slavery Origins of Atlantic slavery :in Medit.
Slaves used for sugar prod.= 1st “modern” industry b/c of capital investment, technology, disciplined workers and mass market).
Preference for African slaves b/c
1)Slavs (from Black Sea) –not available.
2) Indians-died
3)Indentured servants (from Europe) –too expensive
4) Africans-were resistant, farmers, not Christians.

12. What were the sources of slaves?
Who was capturing the slaves? What were the effects of slave trade on societies? How did the slave trade change in time?
What were the sources of slaves?

13. Slave trade in practice
Determined by Europ. demand
Was in African hands (capturing, transp. sale)
: less than 4,000 slaves /yr.
17th C: 10,000 slaves/yr.
The peak of slavery: 1750s: 60,000 slaves/yr.
Sources of slaves: W African coast (kingdoms of Ghana, Oyo, Dahomey, Kongo)

14. What were the effects of slave trade on dif. African kingdoms?

15. Conseq. of African slave trade
Africa became part of the Atlantic world
Slowed African pop. growth
Econ. stagnation, polit. Disruption.
Polit. Effects
A )Kongo & Oyo-disintegrated b/c of slave trade
b) Benin-developed state, avoid involvement in slave trade, diversified its prod.
C )Dahomey: slave trade under royal control (dependent of this)

16. 1.What are the various theories as to why African slave labor was so widely used in the Americas?
2.What are the pieces of the New Atlantic economy?
3.Describe the Great Circuit.
4.Discuss the interactions between Europeans and Africans in the Atlantic slave trade.

17. The Atlantic econ.
15 & 16 centuries-Spanish & Portuguese colonies-system of royal monopoly-inefficient & expensive.
17 & 18 centuries-2 new institutions-A)capitalism & mercantilism established the framework within which government protected private companies participated in the Atlantic economy

18. The Atlantic econ. B)Partnership-government-private investors
C)Working relationship-African-Europeans
D)Plantation system-a single cash crop