The Atlantic Slave Trade

Beginning around 1500 ending around 1870

Europeans imported close to million Africans to the Americas

Why?

• Looking for source of to work on

• Ecomienda system ended in 1542 – many natives died from and

treatment on plantations

10

CHEAP LABOR

DISEASES HARSH

PLANTATIONS

Europeans turned to Africans for a number of reasons:

• Did not view as • Seemed to be immune to European • Experienced in hard • was similar to Africa’s• Less likely to

HUMANDISEASES

LABORCLIMATE

ESCAPE

Europeans did not seize the slaves- they were African & played a willing role:They enemy tribes and sold them to the Europeans for , , &

RULERS MERCHANTSPURCHASED

CAPTUREDGUNS GOLD

GOODS

Transatlantic trading networkCarried a variety of goods - to

America; to Europe

to Africa

SLAVESRAW MATERIALS

TRIANGULAR TRADE:

MANUFACTURED GOODS

MIDDLE PASSAGE:On the journey from Africa to America of Africans died The voyage was called the MIDDLE PASSAGE – middle leg of a slave’s journey

MILLIONS

1. CAPTURED

2. TRANSPORTED

3. SOLD

MIDDLE PASSAGE:Conditions on the slave ships were terrible:

Not enoughOVERCROWDING FOOD

WHIPPINGS & BEATINGS

MIDDLE PASSAGE:Spread of Roughly % of Africans aboard each ship died during the trip

SICKNESS & DISEASES20

EFFECTS OF THE SLAVE TRADE:I. life – grueling work, long hours, little foodII. African torn apart – buyers looking

for & III. Increased warfare – gunsIV. - justified slavery claiming Africans

were inferior

HARSHFAMILIES

YOUNG STRONGTRIBAL

RACISM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvhKeJ6m3rY

THE MIDDLE PASSAGE DOCUMENTARY