three atlantic towns - the slave trade

what was being exported?

wimbledon to oguaa - guns, alcohol, manufatured goods

oguaa to bridgetown - captured/ emploted africans

bridgetwon to wimbledon - cash crops

why did people want to grow cash crops

because they were so addictive that there was a constant demnad for them in England. People saw them as a way to make money fast, and labour was much cheaper in the caribbean, so they could make a higher profit

why were people sent to the plantations?

to work as:

• indentured servants - signed a contract to work for a certain amount of time in exchange for passage to the caribbean

• convicts - sent to serve for a certain amount of time as prisoners by the government

problems with the supply of people

• there were more slaves needed on the plantation than could be provided

• it was easy to escape

effects of the slave trade in Oguaa

• when slaves were captured, they were kept in a dirty, cramped castle. Many people died

• prisoners were brought to satisfy the demands for slaves

• it is though that after a while, people would have gotten used to the smell fromt eh castle and the continuous capture of slaves

• while they may have had questions, many people would have thought it was best to ignore it

• no records from teh castle, suggesting it was too horrible to describe

effects in Bridgetown

• lots of fertile land, which was good for farming crops

• punishments on the plantations were very severe (slave code)

• owners were worried if they didn’t show authority the trade would fall apart

• sources show slaves were treated very badly, as the barbados slave code gave the owners lots of power

effects in Wimbledon

• between 1750-1890, wimbledon became much more developed, thanks to the industrial revolution and money from the slave trade

• when slavery was abolished, the slave trade owners were paid compernsation by the government for all the money they lost

• many slave owners put a lot of their money into developing Britain’s infrastructure, contributing a lot to britain’s wealth

what was the barbados slave code?

• it was made by the plantation owners

• had very strict rules which treated the slaves very badly (eg. if a master killed a slave, they would face no punishment whatsoever)

who was Edward Drax?

• Edward Drax was one of the plantation owners

• unlike other plantations, which have been opened to the puclic, Drax Hall is stil a private plantation

• people are angry about this as many people have ancestors buried there, and historians want to see inside to build a better image of what life was like

• Richard Drax, a descendant of Edward Drax says that he ‘regrets his family’s actions’ but what has happened is in the past

why did the trade go on for so long?

becuase of people’s addiction to cash crops and the wealthy plantation owners greed for money and power.