The Passage (copy)

Overview of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

The Triangular Trade System

  • The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, often referred to as the triangular trade, involved three main regions: Africa, America, and Europe.

  • Captive Africans were transported from Africa to America, where they were forced into labor.

  • Raw materials produced in America, such as sugar and tobacco, were sent to Europe.

  • Europe, in turn, exported manufactured goods back to Africa and America, creating a cyclical economic system.

Key Terminology and Concepts

  • Diaspora: Refers to the spread of people of African ancestry around the world, resulting from the slave trade.

  • Thingification: The process of dehumanizing individuals, turning them into objects or property.

  • Chattel Enslavement: A form of slavery where individuals are treated as personal property that can be bought and sold.

The Mechanisms of Enslavement

  • Forts: Large complexes built along the African coast to hold captured Africans before transport.

  • Pawns: Family members of captured Africans used as collateral to ensure the delivery of war captives.

  • Tight Packing vs. Loose Packing: Tight packing involved overloading slave ships, leading to high mortality rates, while loose packing aimed to save lives but was often economically unviable.

The Experience of Enslaved Africans

The Process of Seasoning

  • Seasoning: The process by which newly arrived Africans were acclimatized to slavery, categorized into three groups:

  1. Creole Slaves: Born in America.

  2. Old African Slaves: Those who had been in America for some time.

  3. New Africans: Recently arrived individuals.

  • Renaming was a part of seasoning, where enslaved individuals were given Christian or Roman names.

The Role of Drivers and Managers

  • Drivers: Enslaved individuals who were appointed to oversee the work of other slaves, often using whips to enforce compliance.

  • Absentee Owners: Slave owners who relied on managers and overseers to maintain control over enslaved populations, often viewing sexual access as a right.

The Impact of Enslavement on Identity

  • The concept of race emerged alongside slavery, categorizing humans based on physical characteristics.

  • Enslaved Africans often resisted the imposed identities based on skin color, preferring cultural and linguistic identities.

  • The sexual exploitation of African women played a significant role in forming a collective identity among enslaved people.

The Historical Context of the Slave Trade

The Origins of the Slave Trade

  • The slave trade was driven by European imperial ambitions, justifying the buying and selling of non-Europeans as 'others.'

  • The term 'slave' originates from the Latin word 'sclavus,' referring to Eastern Europeans enslaved by the Roman Empire.

The Journey and Conditions of Enslaved Africans

  • Enslaved individuals often walked 60 to 400 miles to the coast, with mortality rates ranging from 10% to 40%.

  • The Atlantic crossing was perilous, with 5% to 20% of Africans and 15-20% of crew members dying during the journey.

Cultural and Social Dynamics

  • African societies did not have prisons; the concept of imprisonment was foreign.

  • Captives were often baptized and branded, marking their conversion to Christianity, which was used to rationalize their enslavement.