THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE INTRODUCTION Africans had been

THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE

INTRODUCTION • Africans had been involved in slave trade prior to colonization of Americas • Most pre-industrial societies (including Africa) practiced slavery

THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE • Before the Atlantic slave trade began, slavery took many forms • Voluntary • Debtors • “Chattel” = viewed as property • African slaves went to two parts of the world: • The Western Hemisphere • Islamic Lands (Middle East & India)

TRADE TO ISLAMIC LANDS • Developed prior to Atlantic slave trade • Fewer slaves than Atlantic system • Many slaves were female • Became household servants or part of a harem • Could become wives for wealthy individuals • Males used as laborers or to fight in armies • Rarely hereditary

TRADE TO THE AMERICAS • Slaves were needed due to loss of Native American laborers (warfare, disease, etc. ) • Process of transporting slaves could be very expensive (shipwrecks, disease, mutiny, piracy, etc. )

The Atlantic Circuit (Triangular Trade) • • First leg: Manufactured goods (guns, textiles, etc. ) from Europe to Africa Second leg (the Middle Passage): African slaves to the New World Third leg: Plantation goods (cash crops, raw materials, etc. ) back to Europe Involved the movement of goods, wealth, and free and unfree laborers, and the mixing of African, American, and European cultures and peoples

Plantation Systems in the Americas • Located in Brazil, the Caribbean and southern North America • Increased the demand for slaves in the Americas – Mostly male • Produced cash crops – Sugar cane, tobacco, etc. • Expensive

DEMOGRAPHIC AND ENVIRONMENT CHANGES • Major population shifts • A rise in the population of Europe • A decrease in the population of the Americas • No overall population decreased in Africa

THE ATLANTIC ECONOMY • 15 th and 16 th century Atlantic trade • Controlled by Spanish and Portuguese governments • American silver to Europe and Asia • Expensive and inefficient

THE ATLANTIC ECONOMY • In the 17 th and 18 th centuries • Controlled by British, French and Dutch • Royal governments developed privately owned charter companies • Monopolies • Joint-stock companies • More efficient and profitable • Promoted mercantilism