Lecture 4

Overview

More familial: incorporated in the owner’s family
Can buy their freedom
Higher status
Source of slaves
- Criminals, war prisoners, people in debt
England: Jews are chattels of the King
Spain: slaves - ransomed
Fall of Roman empire: slavery falls apart because it isn’t compatible with feudalism
- Must feed slaves → costs a lot of money → free slaves
Small slave trade still exists with more specialized slaves who were kidnapped
Portuguese: looking for gold + trade with African states → only main trading power here
- 3 different trade patterns
- This region is really integrated into the world trade
- Western Africa
- Slaves are directly incorporated into the master’s family, enforcible rights, being sold = punishment
- Civil wars
- No iron, weapons/tools, copper, or cloth → Europeans bring these at a cheaper price
- Portuguese: set up a factory and want to do the transportation for all trades → to make profits
- Wanted to bring slaves to Atlantic islands for labour (ex: sugar)

Most important source of gold = in Africa!
European kings: give licenses for trade to merchants (if no license can be arrested)
- Gives protection to merchants (ex: convoys → military ships around merchant ships)
- Expeditions = state-sponsored
- Merchants owe a fraction of profits to the government
- Profits are used to fund even more expeditions

Production of sugar, cotton, rice and indigo → drive down the cost of basic goods in Europe (cost of living decrease)
- Allows large-scale production of food specifically for workers
Wages of workers goes down + prices of good go down
- Money goes up → accumulate massive amounts of money to invest
Direct connection between food eaten in Europe and slave workers in America
Portuguese: buy slaves from African merchants and sell them to Spain/England…
1640: 286 000 slaves brought to America
Mortality rates: 15-20% during the voyage
Preference for slaves: men, 15-35 years old, with scars from smallpox (meant that they already had it)