African Slave Trade

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African Slave Trade
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Why did the Trade Begin?

• Expanding European empires in the New World
  lacked one major resource -- a work force. In
  most cases the indigenous peoples had proved
  unreliable (most of them were dying from diseases
  brought over from Europe), and Europeans were
  unsuited to the climate and suffered under
  tropical diseases. Africans, on the other hand,
  were excellent workers they often had experience
  of agriculture and keeping cattle, they were used
  to a tropical climate, resistant to tropical
  diseases, and they could be "worked very hard" on
  plantations or in mines.

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How Did the Europeans Obtain the Slaves?

• Between 1450 and the end of the nineteenth
  century, slaves were obtained from along the west
  coast of Africa with the full and active
  co-operation of African kings and merchants.
• Rival tribes would capture slaves and give them
  to the Europeans in exchange for goods.
• They were kidnapped or captured from their
  homeland

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Where did slaves come from?
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The Journey across the Sea

• The slaves were treated so harshly that some of
  them didn't make it to the West Indies. An
  estimated 20 died along the way
• Traders were so greedy that they wanted to bring
  as many slaves as possible.
• The slaves were chained and crammed together
  below the deck.
• There was hardly any sitting room or standing
  room.
• The slaves didnt even have fresh air. The air
  was so stifling that some suffocated to death.
• Others tried to starve themselves to death or
  jump over board.

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Triangular Trade

• This was the name given to the trading route used
  by European merchants who exchanged goods with
  Africans for slaves, shipped the slaves to the
  Americas, sold them and brought goods from the
  Americas back to Europe.

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The 3 legs of trade

• It was called the triangular trade because of the
  triangular shape that the three legs of the
  journey made.
• The first leg was the journey from Europe to
  Africa where goods were exchanged for slaves.
• The second, or middle, leg of the journey was the
  transportation of slaves to the Americas. It was
  nicknamed the 'middle passage.'
• The third and final leg of the journey, was
  the transport of goods from the Americas back to
  Europe.
• Colonial Triangular Trade

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Arrival in the Americas

• As a result of the slave trade, five times as
  many Africans arrived in the Americas than
  Europeans. Slaves were needed on plantations and
  for mines and the majority was shipped to Brazil,
  the Caribbean, and the Spanish Empire. Less than
  5 traveled to the Northern American States
  formally held by the British.

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What effects did this have on West Africa?

• Millions enslaved and sent away from their
  homelands (men, boys, and women)
• Families broken up
• People kidnapped and captured from their villages
• Up to 20 died on the voyage
• Created ethnic problems as some tribes helped to
  capture other tribal members for slavery.

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Resources

• http//lylesj.tripod.com/trade/tritrade.html
• http//www.historyonthenet.com/Slave_Trade/triangu
  lartrade.htm
• http//www.eckstein.seattleschools.org/elmiller/ss
  /triangular_trade/
• http//africanhistory.about.com/od/slavery/tp/Tran
  sAtlantic001.htm