African Kingdoms and Atlantic Slave Trade

African American studies

interdisciplinary approach to analyze the history, culture, and contributions of people of African descent in the U.S.

Africa

the birthplace of humanity and diverse continent with complex societies that were globally connected before the Atlantic Slave Trade

W.E.B. DuBois

in doctoral thesis published The Suppression of the African Slave-trade to the U.S. (1896)

Carter G. Woodson

started “Negro History Week,” turning into Black History Month

Nathan Hare

coordinated first African American Studies program at San Francisco State

Slave trade before and after Europeans

Gambia Empire had a slave trade before Atlantic Slave Trade but Europeans did introduce Transcontineal Slave Trade and New World colonists introduced race based slavery

Map

5 climate zones

desert (Sahara), semiarid (Sahel, btw sahara and grasslands), savanna grasslands, tropical rainforests, and Mediterranean zone

Nile River

longest river in the world

Area of early population centers

in the savanna grasslands because 1) major water routes allowing for movement of people and goods 2) Fertile land for agriculture and domestication 3) Sahel and savannas connected trade between communities in north and south

Desert and semiarid people

nomadic herders, moving for food, water, and traded salt

Sahel people

traded livestock, is btw sahara and grasslands

Savannas people

cultivated grain crops

Tropical rainforest people

grew kola trees and yam, traded gold

Ecological challenges

1) diseases like yellow fever and malaria 2) died in desert because unknowingly contracted a disease 3) flooding, drought, sandstorms, desertification

Bantu

helped population growth in West and Central Africa, leading to a series a migrations throughout Africa of these language speaking people (“term” Expansion) and expanding their linguistic family (hundreds)

Egypt and Nubia/Kush

emerged along Nile River; Nubia annexed Egypt, creating a dynasty of Black Pharaohs; renowned for their pyramids; 3000 BCE

Aksumite

first Africans to adopt Christianity (not due to colonialism); present day Ethiopia and Eritrea; created own script (Ge'ez) and currency; connected with mediterranean, roman empire, and india; 100 BCE

The Nok

iron-working people; present day Nigeria; 500 BCE

Sudanic Empires

Ghana (7-13 century), Mali (13-17 century), Songhai (15-18 century); renowned for gold mines

Ghana

weapon and iron making; access to Saharan salt mines and tropical gold mines; Muslim caravans brought goods (Islam spread); 7-13 century

Mali

Islam everything; influential Mansa Musa who did a pilgrimage to Mecca and traded gold for goods (attracted interest of Mediterranean and Southern Europe); Timbuktu city

Songhai

last and largest west african empire

Zimbabwe

stone architecture; became wealthy from ivory, gold, and cattle; Great Enclosure was religious and administrative site; 12-15 century

Kongo

started slave trade; Portuguede influence introduced Christianity and African Catholicism emerged; traded copper, ivory, salt; traded slaves (largest source) starting in 1482 with Portugal in exchange for military assistance; 14-19th century

Swahili Coast

afro-asian fusion; location linked empire to Arab, Persian, Indian, and Chinese trading communities; united by shared language and religion; exported timber, ivory, gold for porcelain and cotton; Portuguese invaded and made settlements

African religion

blended Christianity and Muslim with indigenous beliefs; brought specific twist to the Americas (origin of Voodoo, divination, healing practices)

Kinship

often formed basis for political alliances

Women’s roles

spiritual leaders, political advisors, market traders, educators, agriculturalists

Queen Idia

first iyoba (queen mother, a political advisor to her son the king) in the Kingdom of Benin (present day Nigeria) in late 1400s; relied on spiritual power

Queen Njinga

became queen of Ndongo (present day Angola); engaged in 30 years of guerilla warfare against Portuguese

Griots

prestigious historians, storytellers, and musicians who shared and maintained a community’s history, traditions, and cultural practices; included women and men

Kente Cloth

sacred, hand-woven textile, showing status like masks

Portuguese

most likely first to make contact with Africa; explored area because rumors of gold; traded gold, ivory, spices, and culture; impressed with Africa’s education system and trading markets; trade increased presence of Europeans in West Africa and Africans in the Iberian port cities

Protective amulets

medically valuable in Portuguese and African culture

Collaborative exploration

Africans, including ladinos, and Europeans journeyed to Americas together

Ladinos

part of a broader group called “Atlantic creoles,” Africans who had been exposed to multiple cultures around the Atlantic world; helped Spanish lay claim to Americas

Africans’ roles in the Americas

conquistadors, enslaved laborers, free skilled workers and artisans Portuguese and Kongo trade

Effects of slave trade on Africa

wars were constaly fought to have constant supply of slaves; guns allowed kings to defeat enemies; removed 50,000 people by 1500s

Atlantic slave trade

forced transportation of over 12 million enslaved African people to the Americas by European and American traders

Jamestown

tobacco fields needed labor and used indentured servants (poor English who traded 4–7 years of labor for passage) at first but needed a more permanent labor

White Lion

Dutch ship that pirated Spanish vessel of slaves and anchored at Jamestown; traded slaves for food

Top five enslaver countries

Portugal, Great Britain, France, Spain, Netherlands

Reason for Africans and not Natives

many Natives died from disease but Africans were immune; many Africans were experienced with farming; if they ran away, skin color was easy to identify

Charleston, SC

48% of slaves brought to the U.S. landed here

Distribution of slaves

most went to agrarian south

Slave ships

arranged captives to transport as many people as possible and maximize profit; crowding was a big issue

Part 1 - Captivity and March to the Coast

Africans were captured or abducted from inland communities, marched for months in secured columns called coffles, and held in crowded, unsanitary coastal dungeons or barracoons.

Part 2 - The Middle Passage

The traumatic trans-Atlantic crossing aboard specialized slave ships lasted up to three months, characterized by dehumanizing conditions, extreme violence, widespread disease, and a mortality rate of roughly 15 percent.

Part 3 - Arrival at Port (The Final Passage)

Upon reaching the Americas, survivors were quarantined, inspected, resold, and transported domestically to their final locations of servitude—a final displacement process that could take as long as the first two stages combined.

Sengbe Pieh

led a revolt of many Africans on the Spanish slave ship La Amistad in 1839; at trial, they were freed, growing abolitionist sentiments

Coastal states AST effects

became wealthy from trade of goods

Interior states AST effects

became unstable under constant threat of capture