Map of triangular trade
- Bigest process that linked Africa to Americas was Atlantic slave trade
- In exchange for slaves Africa got firearms and other manufactured materials
- Slavery was already common in Africa after the Bantu spread agriculture
- Once enslaved a person got no rights
- In Africa more slaves meant that you could have more power
- After 8th century Muslim merchants looked for slaves for the Mediterranean basin or the Indian ocean
- During a millenium 10 millions slaves got moved and forced into bondage
- By the 15 and 16 century the slavery was normal and europeans ran into it
- Islam expanded the slave trade past mediterranean basin and indian ocean by using existing networks
- Europeans then bought slaves and sailed to the Americas
Crash Course on Atlantic Slave trade
Scale
- Atlantic slave trade begun small but grew until it reached massive proportions
- in 1441 portuguese sailors took 12 men and forced them into slavery
- they later learned that they could buy slaves by 1460 there were 500 slaves each year being sold
- they would bring them to europe or to portuguese colonies
Available land
Spanish peoples brought slaves over and the spread of disease made more land available
Demand for trade created what is known as the triangular trade
Demand for trade created what is known as the triangular trade
Triangular Trade
1st leg: Europe brought manufactured goods, cotton textiles and metal were:firearms
2nd leg: took enslaved africans to caribbean and americans destinations to trade slaves for suger or cash crops
3rd leg: sugar and later other cash crops were brought back to europe
2nd leg: took enslaved africans to caribbean and americans destinations to trade slaves for suger or cash crops
3rd leg: sugar and later other cash crops were brought back to europe
Middle Passage
- The slave conditions were very bad and on some ships the mortality rate was above 50%
- The middle passage was when slaves they were captured were forced to walk for 4-6 weeks to the coast
- they were then held until ships arrived to transport
- the spacing was cramped and they were given little food and water, if a slave got sick they threw them overboard to keep them from infecting others
- some slaves tried to kill themselves by not eating but were forced to eat