Lecture 4

Overview

1. How did the slave trade begin?
2. Evolution of the slave trade
3. Actual slave work

Slave trade: beginnings

Early slave period:

• More familial: incorporated in the owner’s family

• Can buy their freedom

• Higher status

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• Source of slaves

  • Criminals, war prisoners, people in debt

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• England: Jews are chattels of the King

• Spain: slaves - ransomed

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• Fall of Roman empire: slavery falls apart because it isn’t compatible with feudalism

  • Must feed slaves → costs a lot of money → free slaves

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• Small slave trade still exists with more specialized slaves who were kidnapped

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• 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)

Slave trade

• 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

Commodities produced

• 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

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• Wages of workers goes down + prices of good go down

  • Money goes up → accumulate massive amounts of money to invest

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• Direct connection between food eaten in Europe and slave workers in America

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• Portuguese: buy slaves from African merchants and sell them to Spain/England…

• 1640: 286 000 slaves brought to America

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• Mortality rates: 15-20% during the voyage

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• Preference for slaves: men, 15-35 years old, with scars from smallpox (meant that they already had it)

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