Unit One: Becoming

African American

• Africa is geographically, ethnically, religiously, politically, and culturally diverse

• West Africa is typically the ancestral homeland of most African Americans

• There are several ancient civilizations of West Africa

Africa

• Race was not a factor in the slave trade in Africa

• Usually slaves taken for use in Africa were used as concubines & domestic servants (women & children) or as soldiers (men)

• Slaves were often captured in warfare

• They were forced to trading posts on the coast

• Slaves were stuffed tightly in slave ships for the trip across the Atlantic Ocean

The Slave Trade in Africa

• Portugal & Spain led the way in European exploration in the 15th century

• In need of labor for their colonies in the “New World,” (Americas) they focused on Africans

• There was already a thriving slave trade in Africa

European Exploration

• Africans traded slaves to Europeans, often times due to rivalries among tribes

• European demand for sugar drove up prices, making sugar plantations very profitable

• Because the cultivation of sugar is extremely labor intensive, the Native labor supply could not meet the demands of the sugar industry

Motives for the Expansion of Slavery

• African slaves were then imported to meet this demand

• Poor sanitation• Insufficient food• Widespread disease• Cramped conditions• Sexual abuse of women

by crew of ships• Slaves would throw

themselves overboard to drown

• Resistance & rebellion commonly occurred

Conditions on Slave Ships

Atlantic Slave Trade

• The “Middle Passage” was the middle leg in a triangular trade that linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

• On this middle leg, slaves purchased with European products were transported to the Americas

• Once there, they worked in agriculture, producing commodities for the European market

The Middle Passage

Triangle Trade

• Most slaves who survived the journey were first sold in the Caribbean (West Indies)

• They were “seasoned,” by learning their new jobs, environments, language, and rules

• Behaviors & attitudes were modified to break connections with Africa

• The goal was to produce efficient & effective laborers

• Slaves were subjected to the humiliation of examination & sale

• They were often purchased by British & later American plantation owners for work in North America

Seasoning Process

Seasoning Process

Seasoning Process

• Most slaves were men, used for agricultural labor• Slaves became

personal property, losing basic rights.

Characteristics of Slavery in America

The slave trade was outlawed:• Britain in 1807• United States in 1808