The Slave Trade Notes

Africa's Initial Importance

• Initially, Africa was valued by Europe as a source of goods for trade in Asia.
• Europeans traded cloth and tools for gold and ivory.

Shift Due to American Colonies

• The establishment of colonies in North and South America changed trade dynamics.
• Plantations in the Americas required a large labor force, leading Europeans to seek slaves from Africa.

Methods of Obtaining Slaves

• Europeans employed slave catchers to abduct Africans from their villages.
• Some slave catchers were African, paid to capture other Africans.
• Captured Africans were transported to the Americas on crowded ships.