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The Atlantic Slave Trade
Mr. Morris
World History
Key Terms Ch. 20.3 pg. 566
Atlantic slave trade Triangular trade Middle passage
Setting the Stage
In order for those who owned sugar and cotton plantations to make money, they needed labor Planned on using Native Americans but many
died due to disease Decided to get cheap labor from Africa to fill
their need
Slavery in Africa
Slavery had been present in Africa for hundreds of years Muslims acquired 17 million African slaves
between 650 and 1600 Muslims allowed slaves rights and some
positions of power In Africa, if a slave married into the family that
owned them, they were no longer slaves
The Demand for Africans
Portuguese explorers in Africa realized the value in selling slaves to the American settlers Several advantages to using Africans as
slaves• Already exposed to European disease, so they had
some immunity• Had experience in farming, easy transition to
plantation work• No knowledge of the American lands; couldn’t
escape• Looked different, easy to detect escapees
Slave trade became big business
Spain and Portugal Lead the Way
Spain’s large amounts of land in North America needed lots of labor First to import large numbers of African slaves
as a cheap labor force in gold and silver mines
Portuguese needed slaves on sugar plantations As demand for sugar went higher, so did
demand for cheap labor in Brazil• 40% of all Africans brought to the Americas ended
up in Brazil during the 1600s
England Dominates the Slave Trade
Over time, England became the main player in the Atlantic slave trade Most Africans went to the Caribbean colonies A small amount of slaves went to the United
States• Eventually grew to 2 million
African Cooperation and Resistance
African merchants captured other Africans and sold them into slavery Received gold, guns, and other goods in
return As more African rulers spoke out against
the slave trade, merchants found new trade routes Business grew steadily because of great
profits
The Triangular Trade
Three main stops in the slave trade Africa
Received manufactured goods from Europe Sent captured slaves to the West Indies
West Indies (America) Received slaves from Africa Sent sugar, coffee, tobacco to Europe
Europe Received sugar, coffee, tobacco from the West
Indies Sent manufactured goods to Africa
The Middle Passage
Route that brought slaves to Americas was known as the middle passage Slaves were packed tightly into ships
• Whipped and beaten by merchants during this time• Diseases also affected slaves during the trip• Many committed suicide by drowning themselves
Estimated that 20% of the slaves on every ship died before they reached the Americas
A Harsh Life
After arriving, slaves were sold at an auction Either worked in mines, fields, or as servants Very little food and poor housing conditions Beaten regularly and had very long workdays No hope of gaining freedom, all children were
automatically slaves as well
Resistance and Rebellion
Developed their own culture to cope with the harsh life Musical traditions and stories from ancestors
were kept alive Resisted by working slowly and breaking tools
• Some escaped Several revolts broke out and some
slaveholders were killed
Consequences of the Slave Trade
Most fit Africans gone to the Americas Families torn apart, never reunited Guns introduced in Africa
Slaves contributed greatly to the economic development of the Americas Influenced culture also with their heritage
Changed the population of these places, still seen today