slave trade

middle passage

he brutal and inhumane sea journey that forcibly transported millions of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries. It was the middle leg of the transatlantic "triangular trade" route and represents a key concept for understanding the exploitation of maritime empires. 

atlantic slave trade

a brutal system of forced migration that transported millions of Africans to the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries. It was an essential component of the "triangular trade" that connected Europe, Africa, and the Americas, providing the labor force that fueled the economies of European colonial powers.

plantation agriculture

a system of commercial farming that developed during the colonial era, characterized by the large-scale production of a single cash crop for export. This system fundamentally reshaped global economies, labor systems, and social structures, primarily through its heavy reliance on exploited labor, such as enslaved or indentured people. 

oyo empire

a powerful Yoruba state in West Africa that existed from approximately the 14th to the 19th centuries, located in present-day southwestern Nigeria. It was a significant political and economic force in the region, known for its strong cavalry, complex political structure, and crucial role in the transatlantic slave

triangle trade

a transatlantic trade network that operated between Europe, Africa, and the Americas from the 16th to the 19th centuries. This system moved manufactured goods, enslaved people, and raw materials in a brutal cycle of exploitation that enriched European empires and devastated African societies. 

mercantilists

an economic theory and practice dominant in Europe from the 16th to the 18th centuriest that emohasized sate control over wealth trade and exports over imports

dahomey

a powerful West African state located in modern-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904

asante

a powerful and influential West African state that emerged in the late 17th century in present-day Ghana

king alfonso

(reigned 1506–1543) was a ruler who initially embraced European culture and trade but later became a vocal opponent of the illegal and destructive Atlantic slave trade. His story serves as a prime example of the complex and often tragic interactions between early modern European powers and African

olaudah equiano

(c. 1745–1797) was a formerly enslaved African who became a prominent abolitionist in London

african diaspora

refers to the mass dispersal of people of African descent around the world, most prominently those who were forcibly removed from West and Central Africa and brought to the Americas via the transatlantic slave trade