social sciences

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

The forced transport of about twelve million Africans from West Africa to the Americas from 1451 to 1870.

Triangular Trade

A trade network where raw materials were sent from the Americas to Europe, manufactured goods were sold from Europe to West Africa, and enslaved Africans were transported to the Americas.

Settled Farming Societies

Communities where most West Africans lived, growing food to feed themselves and trading surplus.

Slavery in West Africa

A practice that existed before the trans-Atlantic slave trade, smaller in scale and less brutal than European slave systems.

Chattel Slavery

A system where slaves are treated as property that can be bought and sold, introduced by Europeans.

Cash Crops

Crops such as tobacco, sugar cane, and cotton that were grown for sale and profit.

Indigenous People

The local inhabitants who originally lived in an area, often affected by colonization.

Barracoons

Prisons where captured Africans were held before being sold into slavery.

Mansa Musa

A powerful ruler who expanded West African slavery by raiding weaker neighbors and enslaving captives.

American Declaration of Independence

A document drafted in 1776 declaring the colonies' independence from Britain, advocating for equality yet excluding slaves and women.

Plantation

A large farm where crops are grown on a scale that requires labor, often using enslaved people.

Slave Auctions

Events where enslaved people are sold to the highest bidder.

Immunity

The ability to fight off infectious diseases, often lacking among Indigenous Americans after European contact.

Voyage

A journey, particularly the one taken by slaves across the Atlantic Ocean.

Conquest

Taking control of land or people by force, often associated with colonization.

Slave States vs Free States

U.S. regions where slavery was allowed versus regions where it was prohibited.

Brutality of Slavery

The extreme harsh treatment of enslaved people in the Americas compared to earlier forms of slavery.