Goree Island

The Door of No Return

"Take up the White Man's Burden-

Send forth the best ye breed-

Go blind your sons to exile

To serve your captives' need..."

-Joseph Rudyard Kipling

Portuguese Traders Age of Exploration Europeans were in search of a new route to

India. Arrived in the 1400s for gold, cotton, and

ivory By the 1650s, the slave trade was the most

lucrative enterprise

Slavery Common in ancient China, Mesopotamia,

Greece, and Rome Arabs, Egyptians, and Kushites all held slaves Slave caravans were a common sight in East

Africa and the Sahara NO TRADE in slaves was more extensive or

more brutal than the TRANS-ATLANTICTRANS-ATLANTIC trade that took place between 1600-1800s.

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Estimated range

between 10-20 million Africans were transported during this period

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

3,000,000

3,500,000

4,000,000

BrazilCaribbeanSpanish coloniesUS and CanadaEurope

Portuguese traders bought slaves in Benin and the Niger delta to sell elsewhere.

Slaves were needed for sugar plantations in Latin America and Caribbean at first, then others were used in North America

How were the slaves obtained?

Traders organized and operated their own slave raids.

Traders bought slaves from African kings and chiefs. Some were prisoners of wars between tribes Some tribes raided other groups’ villages in order

to capture slaves to sell Some sold their own family members or

themselves

Triangular Trade

Europeans brought goods (usually guns and trinkets) to Africa in exchange for slaves

Slaves were brought to plantations in S. America, Caribbean, and U.S.

Sugar, rum, tobacco, and molasses were shipped to Europe to trade for manufactured products

Triangular TradeTriangular Trade

The order of trade during the slave trade

First Leg- Goods from Europe to African kings for slaves

Second- Export of slaves to western hemisphere

Third- Return of goods from Americas to Europe

The order of trade during the slave trade

First Leg- Goods from Europe to African kings for slaves

Second- Export of slaves to western hemisphere

Third- Return of goods from Americas to Europe

The Middle Passage

The slave trade took several triangular routes. Over one route, ships from Europe transported manufactured goods to the west coast of Africa. There, traders exchanged the goods for slaves. Next, the slaves were carried across the Atlantic Ocean to the West Indies and sold for huge profits. This part of the route was called the Middle Passage. The traders used much of their earnings to buy sugar, coffee, and tobacco in the West Indies. The ships then took these products to Europe.

The Middle Passage

Trans-Atlantic Exports By Region(1450-1900)

Region Number of slaves accounted for %

Senegambia 479,900 4.7 Upper Guinea 411,200 4.0 Windward Coast 183,200 1.8 Gold Coast 1,035,600 10.1 Bight of Benin 2,016,200 19.7 Bight of Biafra 1,463,700 14.3 West Central 4,179,500 40.8 South East 470,900 4.6

Total 10,240,200 100.0

Trans-Atlantic Imports By Region (1450-1900)

Region Number of slaves accounted for %

Brazil 4,000,000 35.4 Spanish Empire 2,500,000 22.1 British West Indies 2,000,000 17.7 French West Indies 1,600,000 14.1 British North America and United States 500,000 4.4 Dutch West Indies 500,000 4.4 Danish West Indies 28,000 0.2 Europe (and Islands) 200,000 1.8

Total 11,328,000 100.0

Review your ethnic group notes for the quiz tomorrow.

Start working on reading pages 507-516 and taking notes. They are due on Friday.

Tonight