The Atlantic Slave Trade

1450-1750

I. Slavery Becomes a System

Slavery typically existed for the service of cheap labor: Manual Labor – physical work done by
hand. Skilled workers such as musicians, weavers, carpenters.
i.
ii. In African, Families were not usually broken up
iii. In China, families were split up.
iv. In Ancient Athens it was Illegal to abuse slaves.
b. Treatment of Slaves
i. Most slaves were captured in war, others were sold as punishment for their
crimes or to repay debts
ii. Manumission: freeing of slaves
1. The Qur’an promotes the idea of manumission
2. In Rome, when an owner died he would leave it in his will for his slaves
to be set free.
c. Africa and the Slave Trade
i. Slavery existed in Africa for many years.
ii. 18 million slaves exchanged from AD 650-1905
iii. Slaves were traded throughout Asia and Africa
iv. Europe was cut off from Africa after the collapse of the Roman Empire.
d. Europe enter the African Trade
i. Strong Muslims Kingdoms in Northern Africa prevent European Trade
ii. After hearing about Mansa Musa Portugal was determined to find a way into
Gold-rich Africa
iii. Prince Henry the Navigator: gathered the best sailors, astronomers, and map
makers. He established a trade in West Africa.
iv. What were the top 4 countries to transport African Slaves from 1400-1860?
1. Portugal
2. Great Britain
3. Spain
4. France
e. Slavery in the Americas
i. Native Americans populations decreased rapidly
 The Atlantic Slave Trade
1450-1750

1. African Slaves became more important because of the need for laborers
on Plantations: huge farms
a. They were resistant to European diseases
b. Could not hide after escaping.
c. They were use to European farming methods
ii. Atlantic Slave Trade: imported slaves across the Atlantic from Africa to the
Americas
II. MIDDLE PASSAGE
a. African slaves were transported by the millions to the Americas
i. One leg of the Triangle Trade
b. Triangular Trade: exchange of goods between Europe, Africa , and the Americas.
i. Europeans traded guns and rum alcohol for African slaves
ii. Upon receiving slaves, the Americas sent raw materials to Europe
c. Journey to the Americas
i. Middle Passage: most profitable leg of the Triangle Trade, millions of people
were captured and enslaved.
ii. Slaves were obtained by local middlemen at coastal trading posts who got slaves
from local rulers in exchange for various goods.
1. European slave traders did not capture slaves directly
2. Originally received prisoners of war, local rulers began raiding nearby
villages for slaves
iii. From the video, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NXC4Q_4JVg)
describe the journey of a slave after their being captured
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
iv. From the Video, what lasting impact did the slave trade have on Africa?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
 The Atlantic Slave Trade
1450-1750

v. Olaudah Equiano was captured at the age of 11. He later wrote about his
capture and life as a slave.
vi. SLAVER: a slave ship.
d. Effects of Slave Trade
i. Africans were shipped to the Americas
ii. An estimated 20% never made it across the Atlantic
iii. African Kingdoms
1. Whole communities were devastated, wars were common to obtain
captives for slavery
iv. African Diaspora: the spreading of African culture and traditions of music, art,
and religion throughout the world.
v. What were the top 4 countries where Slaves were taken to
1. Brazil
2. British Caribbean
3. French Caribbean
4. Spanish America
III. Africans in the Americas
a. The Caribbean
i. Settled by the Spanish, English, and French.
ii. Cash Crops: products produced primarily for profit (tobacco, cotton, and sugar
cane)
iii. Four million slaves were brought to the Caribbean.
iv. Worked 10-18 hour days, very dangerous and demanding.
v. Overseers: employed to manage and direct workers, many relied on violence to
maintain order.
vi. Because of exhaustion, disease, lack of food, and medical care it was Cheaper to
import new slaves than maintain the health of the current slaves.
b. Slave Resistance
i. Maroons: runaway slaves that escaped to isolated areas in Jamaica, Haiti, and
Cuba
ii. Haiti had a slave revolt lead by Toussaint L’Overture over threw the then French
Colony.
 The Atlantic Slave Trade
1450-1750

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvpRpYIZXow
iii. List three facts about L’Overture from the video
1. ___________________________
2. ___________________________
3. ___________________________
c. Latin America
i. Latin America received 45% of all salves imported to the America
ii. Worked on mines, ranches, and plantations.
d. Slavery Laws
i. Mexico, Central, and South America protective laws were passed.
ii. Right to marry, discouraged the breaking up of families
e. British North America
i. Roughly 600,000 slaves were transported to North America
ii. 1619 – 20 slaves were sold in Jamestown, Virginia
iii. Indentured Servants: worked in exchange for passage to the Americas
f. Growth of Slavery
i. Indentured Servitude system declined and more slaves were brought in to offset
the shortage of labor supply.
ii. By 1700s slavery was established in all British Colonies.
iii. Legal codes were created to restrict slaves: could not carry a weapon, could not
travel without written permission.
g. Africans Help Settle the Americas
i. Estevanico was one of four men to cross what is now the southwestern United
States and northern Mexico
ii. Juan Valiente West African slave who helped defeat native people of modern
day Chile and Peru. Was rewarded by the Spanish gov’t.
iii. Jean Baptist Point du Sable Haitian who founded the first permanent settlement
in the area now known as Chicago.
h. African Culture in the Americas
i. Describe Capoeira

Slaves continued to practice their African traditions and customs

 The Atlantic Slave Trade
1450-1750

From Angolan slaves

African Musical Instruments ie. Marimba, the banjo, and various drums
Blended African Religions with Christian beliefs
Mixed languages as shown in Haiti and Louisiana

ii. New Orleans Creole: a blend of African, Caribbean, and European cooking.