African Slave Trade Why did the Trade Begin

African Slave Trade

Why did the Trade Begin? • Expanding European empires in the New World lacked one major resource -- a work force. In most cases the indigenous peoples had proved unreliable (most of them were dying from diseases brought over from Europe), and Europeans were unsuited to the climate and suffered under tropical diseases. Africans, on the other hand, were excellent workers: they often had experience of agriculture and keeping cattle, they were used to a tropical climate, resistant to tropical diseases, and they could be "worked very hard" on plantations or in mines.

How Did the Europeans Obtain the Slaves? • Between 1450 and the • • end of the nineteenth century, slaves were obtained from along the west coast of Africa with the full and active cooperation of African kings and merchants. Rival tribes would capture slaves and give them to the Europeans in exchange for goods. They were kidnapped or captured from their homeland

Where did slaves come from?

The Journey across the Sea • The slaves were treated so • • • harshly that some of them didn't make it to the West Indies. An estimated 20% died along the way Traders were so greedy that they wanted to bring as many slaves as possible. The slaves were chained and crammed together below the deck. There was hardly any sitting room or standing room. The slaves didn’t even have fresh air. The air was so stifling that some suffocated to death. Others tried to starve themselves to death or jump over board.

“Triangular Trade” This was the name given to the trading route used by European merchants who exchanged goods with Africans for slaves, shipped the slaves to the Americas, sold them and brought goods from the Americas back to Europe.

The 3 legs of trade… It was called the triangular trade because of the triangular shape that the three legs of the journey made. • The first leg was the journey from Europe to Africa where goods were exchanged for slaves. • The second, or middle, leg of the journey was the transportation of slaves to the Americas. It was nicknamed the 'middle passage. ' • The third and final leg of the journey, was the transport of goods from the Americas back to Europe. • Colonial Triangular Trade

Arrival in the Americas • As a result of the slave trade, five times as many Africans arrived in the Americas than Europeans. Slaves were needed on plantations and for mines and the majority was shipped to Brazil, the Caribbean, and the Spanish Empire. Less than 5% traveled to the Northern American States formally held by the British.

What effects did this have on West Africa? • Millions enslaved and sent away from their • • homelands (men, boys, and women) Families broken up People kidnapped and captured from their villages Up to 20% died on the voyage Created ethnic problems as some tribes helped to capture other tribal members for slavery.

Resources: • http: //lylesj. tripod. com/trade/tritrade. html • http: //www. historyonthenet. com/Slave_Tr ade/triangulartrade. htm • http: //www. eckstein. seattleschools. org/el miller/ss/triangular_trade/ • http: //africanhistory. about. com/od/slavery /tp/Trans. Atlantic 001. htm