Transcript The Atlantic Slave Trade Chapter 20 Section 3 p. 495-499

The Atlantic Slave Trade
Chapter 20 Section 3
p. 495-499
The Evolution of African Slavery
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English colonists began enslaving Africans
in the Americas around 1500.
The large demand for cheap labor was the
motivation.
Cowrie shells were
used as money in
the slave trade.
Slavery in Africa
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The spread of Islam into Africa led to an
increase in the slave trade.
Between 650 and 1600 4.8 million Africans
(mostly criminals and prisoners of war)
were transported to Muslim lands of
Southwest Asia.
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Emir Faisal I
at Versailles
in 1919. His
slave
(unnamed) is
pictured at
top right.
Faisal served
as King of
Iraq from
1921 to 1933.
Slavery in Africa
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Slaves had some legal rights.
In Muslim nations, many had positions of
influence and power, some served as
generals in the army.
Slaves could own land and slaves of their
own.
Slaves could escape bondage by marriage
into the family they served.
Sons and daughters of slaves were
considered free.
The Desire for Africans
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Portuguese traders are the first to deal slaves to
the Americas.
High death rates among native Americans spur the
desire for slave labor.
African slaves had been exposed to many
European diseases and had built up immunities to
them.
Africans had experience in large-scale agriculture
and could be taught plantation work.
Africans had little knowledge of the land and were
less likely to escape.

Slavery in Zanzibar.
'An Arab master's
punishment for a
slight offence. The
log weighed 32
pounds, and the boy
could only move by
carrying it on his
head.' Unknown
photographer, c.
1890
Spain and Portugal Lead the Way
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By 1650, Spain had 300,000 African
slaves working on plantations and in gold
and silver mines in the Americas and the
Caribbean.
During the 17th century, 40% of all Africans
brought to the Americas went to Brazil.
The Portuguese brought ten times as
many slaves to Brazil than there were
slaves in North America.
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13th century
slave market
in the
Yemen
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Three
Abyssinian
slaves in
chains
Slavery Spreads Throughout the
Americas
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From 1690 to 1807, England dominated
the slave trade.
England transported 1.7 million slaves to
their colonies and the West Indies.
400,000 African slaves were imported to
England’s American colonies
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The slave population had grown to 2 million
there by 1830.
Distribution of slaves (1450-1900)
Brazil
35.4%
 Spanish Empire
22.1%
 British West Indies
17.7%
 French West Indies
14.1%
 British North America and future United
States
4.4%
 Dutch West Indies
4.4%
 Danish West Indies
0.2%
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African Cooperation and
Resistance
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Many African rulers and merchants played
a role in the slave trade. They sold other
Africans to European traders in exchange
for gold, guns, or other goods.
Many African leaders voiced opposition to
the slave trade.
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Bishop Samuel Adjai
Crowther of Nigeria (c.
1807 - 1891). He was
captured by Islamic Fulani
slave raiders at the age of
14 and emancipated by the
intervention of the British
Navy. He converted to
Christianity and was later
ordained as the first African
bishop of the Anglican
Church.
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Hamoud bin
Mohammed, Sultan
of Zanzibar from
1896 to 1902. He
complied with British
demands that
slavery be banned in
Zanzibar and that all
the slaves be freed.
For this he was
decorated by Queen
Victoria and his son
and heir, Ali bin
Hamud, was brought
to England to be
educated.
A Forced Journey
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After capture, many Africans were shipped
to the Americas along a profitable trading
network.
Many died along the way.
Triangular Trade
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The middle passage was the middle leg
of the transatlantic trade triangle.
Timber from America, sugar and rum from
the Caribbean.
Slaves from Africa.
Manufactured goods from England and
Europe.
The Middle Passage
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As many slaves as possible were
crammed into slave ships. Conditions
were terrible.
Suicide among slaves was common.
20% of the slaves died before making it to
the Americas.
“The closeness of the place, and the heat of
the climate, added to the number in the
ship, which was so crowded that each had
scarcely room to turn himself, almost
suffocated us. This produced copious
perspirations, so that the air soon became
unfit for respiration, from a variety of
loathsome smells, and brought on a
sickness among the slaves, of which many
died, thus falling victims to the improvident
avarice, as I may call it, of their purchasers.”
Slavery in the Americas
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Slaves who survived faced a difficult life in
the Americas.
Some embraced their African culture.
Some rebelled against their enslavers.
A Harsh Life
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Slaves were usually auctioned off to the
highest bidder.
In the Americas, slavery was a lifelong and
hereditary condition. The children of
slaves were enslaved as well.
Many were subject to beatings and poor
treatment.
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Whipped slave,
Baton Rouge, La.,
April 2, 1863
Resistance and Rebellion
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Africans coped by developing a way of life
based on their cultural heritage.
To resist bondage, slaves often tried to make
themselves less productive.
Some openly revolted. In 1522, 20 slaves on
Hispaniola killed several Spanish colonists.
In 1739 slaves in South Carolina led the Stono
Rebellion. Several colonists were killed, the
militia was called in. Slaves who were captured
were executed.
Consequences of the Atlantic
Slave Trade (for Africa)
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Africa lost some of its fittest and most
capable citizens.
Countless African families were torn apart.
The introduction of guns changed African
society and politics.
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Map showing
European
claimants to
the African
continent at
the
beginning of
World War I
Consequences of the Atlantic
Slave Trade (for the Americas)
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Economic development of the American
colonies was accelerated.
African from Upper Guinea brought ricegrowing techniques to South Carolina.
North and South America have substantial
African-American populations.
African culture has influenced American
art, music, and food.