African Slave Trade

African Slave Trade

Atlantic Slave Trade

was a 300 year long trade that brought (by force) west africans to the americas.

How many men and women were pulled out of Africa?

12 million

How many men and women died in transit of the Atlantic Slave Trade?

2 million

Which of Europes colonies were involved in the trade?

Spanish, French, & English

Why did European colonies needed a second source of labor?

Because the Indian labor died out due to diseases

Why were Africans used as a second source of labor?

Because Africans are resistant to diseases. (more so than most europeans)

What empire collapse in Wst African in 1618?

Songhai Empire

How did the Songhai Empire collapse?

Invaders from North African came to get gold located there, with the use of guns.

What happened after 1618 in west Africa?

A “policing effect” happened on the area with tribes who had guns vs those who didn’t.

How did small tribes in west Africa believe they could be the 4th empire (after the Songhai Empire)?

If they got access to guns. (guns had power)

What is one example of a European Trade Fort?

El Mina

What did the smaller tribes demand from the european trad forts?

guns, wouldn’t buy if no guns.

What did the europeans from the trade forts sell to the small tribes?

They sold them “trade guns”

What were “trade guns”?

they were guns sold by europeans to small west African tribes that would break down after 1-2 years, causing them to keep coming back.

Europeans wanted _____ in exnachge for ______ from smaller tribes in west africa.

people/guns

What specific type of person did European wanted?

Farmers (rice growers)

What was the name of one European Mercantile Companies?

Royal African CO-English

Who owned Royal African CO-English?

King James II (Duke of York before king)

Which group still spoke out about the slave trade even though it was treason?

Quakers

Who would go great distances with guns to find people to sell?

Costal hunters (West Africans)

What kind of people would small tribes capture?

• people who spoke another language

• 14-25 year olds

• both men and women

What were holding pens?

They were a cage the captives were held in for weeks to months while waiting for the European buyers to come.

What were the conditions like in the holding pens?

• min food/water

  • until buyers come then they would get more food/water

• sometimes oiled them when buyers showed up

• 5-6 different languages among the captives

  • making them unable to fight back

Who inspected the captives when the ships arrive?

A medical doctor and captain of the ship

What were the doctor and captain looking for in the captives and why?

• looking for grey hairs

  • don’t want anyone old

• looking at teeth for dental problems

  • don’t want someone with dental problems that won’t allow them to work

• look under loincloth at genital

  • looked to see if they can reproduce

How many people would the Europeans usually buy?

100-300 people

What were happened to captives once they were bought by a company?

They were branded with the logo of the company who bought them.

Ex: Royal African logo was DY (Duke of York)

What was it like for captives once they were put on the boats?

• Chained laying down in the cargo held

• There were no bathrooms so they had to go on themselves

  • everyday a crew member would go down and dump a bucket of sea water to “clean” the waste of captives

About how many captives would die on the boat?

15% due to disease

What were Seasoning islands?

They were Caribbean islands (like Barbados & Martinique) that would psychological reprogram the captives

How long would captives spend on the seasoning islands?

6 weeks to 6 months

What was involved with the psychological reprograming?

• New name

  • Djimon —> Simon

  • Ebele —> Belle

• Pidgin Language

  • learn work commands

What kind of punishments can captives face?

• lash/whip then saltwater poured on them

• amputation

What percentage of Africans went to Caribbean Islands?

60%

What percentage of Africans went to South America?

35%

What percentage of Africans went to English colonies?

5%

Which European country (primarily) brought africans to the Caribbean Islands?

France

Which specific Caribbean island did the French primarily bring africans to?

Haiti

Which European country (primarily) brought africans to the South America?

Portugal

Which specific South America country did Portugal primarily bring africans to?

Brazil

Why did slave owners think their slaves were happy?

Because the slaves were singing in the fields

What were slaves only thought to be?

Workers

How does the ”legacy” of slavery continue?

George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, & Breonna Taylor