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The Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Morris World History

The Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Morris World History

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Page 1: The Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Morris World History

The Atlantic Slave Trade

Mr. Morris

World History

Page 2: The Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Morris World History

Key Terms Ch. 20.3 pg. 566

Atlantic slave trade Triangular trade Middle passage

Page 3: The Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Morris World History

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

Page 4: The Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Morris World History

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

Page 5: The Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Morris World History

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

Page 6: The Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Morris World History

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

Page 7: The Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Morris World History

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

Page 8: The Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Morris World History

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

Page 9: The Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Morris World History

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

Page 10: The Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Morris World History

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

Page 11: The Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Morris World History

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

Page 12: The Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Morris World History

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

Page 13: The Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Morris World History

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