5. World History 2: The Transatlantic Slave Trade: Crash Course Black American History #1

The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Overview

The Trans-Atlantic slave trade lasted nearly four centuries, from the late 15th century until the late 19th century. This extensive human trafficking primarily involved the forced migration of Africans from six key regions: Senegambia, Sierra Leone & the Windward Coast, the Gold Coast, the Bight of Benin, the Bight of Biafra, and West Central Africa (Kongo and Angola). Notably, scholar W.E.B. Du Bois, in his 1935 work Black Reconstruction in America, referred to the Atlantic slave trade as "the most magnificent drama in the last thousand years of human history," indicating the grave significance and horror of this period.

The Middle Passage

The Middle Passage comprises the second leg of a triangular trade route, which began in Europe and ultimately returned there. Shipped goods such as textiles, iron, alcohol, firearms, and gunpowder were exchanged in Africa for human beings. Approximately 12.4 million Africans were transported via this horrific journey, with an estimated 2 million dying en route. This dreadful experience saw enslaved individuals crammed into ships, often closely chained, enduring brutal conditions.

Conditions Aboard Slave Ships

The voyage across the Atlantic was characterized by atrocious conditions: hundreds of captives were confined to small spaces, forced to relieve themselves where they slept. The stench aboard was overpowering, exacerbated by rampant diseases such as yellow fever and smallpox. Olaudah Equiano's accounts reveal the traumatic environment, where the combination of overcrowding and unsanitary conditions incited sickness among many captives.

Violence and Resistance

Violence was pervasive during the Middle Passage, with enslaved individuals subjected to torture and sexual violence by ship crews. However, resistance took various forms; enslaved people actively sought to reclaim agency in inhumane circumstances. Some revolted against their captors, while others employed individual acts of defiance. Desperate acts, including suicide attempts, were seen as a means of exerting control over their fates, as enslaved individuals resisted their commodification.

Personal Accounts and Context

It is crucial to understand that the narrative of the slave trade is complex and does not solely present Europeans as the hunters and Africans merely as victims. Often, those captured and sold into slavery were prisoners of war or vulnerable individuals sold by fellow Africans to European traders in exchange for goods. This interplay complicates the perception of blame and emphasizes the nuances of power dynamics in slave trading.

The Human Cost

Historically, the period from 1700 to 1808 marks the peak of devastation in the Transatlantic slave trade, with about two-thirds of enslaved Africans trafficked during this timeframe. Jill Lepore's research indicates staggering mortality rates; from each group of 100 individuals taken from Africa, only 64 survived the journey to the coast, and of those, about 48 endured the Middle Passage, with only 28 to 30 likely to survive beyond a few years after arrival.

Language and Terminology

Throughout the discussion of this history, the term "enslaved" will be employed to reinforce the humanity of those in bondage, contrasting with the word "slave," which can be dehumanizing. This distinction is essential in recognizing the historic and ongoing impacts of slavery.