AFRICA AND THE TRANS-ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE Flashcards
Participants:
what three continents
who were the main European trading nations?
Three Continents - Africa, America, and Europe
Main European trading nations:
Portugal, British, French, Dutch, Danes, Spain, Sweden
European settlers in Brazil, Caribbean, Americas
Regions in Africa where slaves came from:
{West Africa (Senegal - Nigeria)
West Central Africa (Congo - Angola)}
Terms of Trade:
What is the triangular trade
Triangular Trade
Slaves taken from Africa to the Americas, Europe
ITEMS OF TRADE
- Gold, Silver, Cotton, Sugar, and Tobacco to Europe
- Alcohol, gunpowder, cloth and iron to Africa
WHO IS BENEFITING MOST FROM THIS TRADE?
WHAT DID THE TRADE DEPEND ON?
- Europeans
The Trade Depended on warfare: - If they Africans were killing one another then they would be easier to control because the would hunt their own people and bring them back slaves
Conduct of Trade:
What 3 things that benefitted trade were established by European merchants?
What are Barracoons?
What are the 3 different types of African slave traders
What was the language of trade between europeans and africans and that did it consist of?
How did the European Deceive the Africans and vice versa?
Direct Attack on Africa- Portuguese (15th century)
Factories ( forts and castles) Established by European merchants
Barracoons ( factories for keeping slaves)
African slave traders (headmen, kings, and chiefs)
Language of trade- pidgin or europeans languages
- This language was a mix of African and European languages so they could understand one another.
Deceitfulness in conduct of trade ( Europeans to Africans)
- Filling barrels with gun powder but leaving a hole in the bottom so they would loose some of the gun powder
- They would fill the alcohol with water to dilute it
- They would encourage the African Traders to come aboard to celebrate with them and would trick them
Deceitfulness in conduct of trade Africans to Europeans
- Sell them sick slaves
Who all participated in ending the slave trade? H C A E F
- Humanitarians
- christian churches
- African Leaders
- European Government
- French Navy
End of slave Trade: 1807 19th century (not America)
What group contributed to put an end to it
Humanitarians
- People from all sides spoke against it
- They made an effort to end the trade
What all did the Christian churches do?
Christian Churches
- the Bible has extensively supported the slave trade
- The slave bible, a book that is designed to remove stories that speak on the freedom of the oppressed
- 2019, there was an. Exhibition that displayed the sales bible
- Pope Nicholas the 5th issued a decree in the 15th century, to enslave all the people who were not christian
- The church would set up post to inspect European ships and the Portuguese government would tax each slave 5% to pay the church
- Churches would own plantations in America and the Caribbean
- Anytime the pope goes to Africa he has to apologize for the church’s past crimes
- The slave trade ended in 1807 but America didn’t end slavery
- Slaves traders were compensated because the slaves were considered property and insured
- Slave owners were compensated but the slaves were not
- The government had checks and balances about this but slaves were not considered people but property
- Arch bishop of pescopalian church has to apologize
-
What did the European government do?
European Governments (esp. the British Navy)
- Used the warships to fight against the slave traders
- Recovered the slaves
- They returned them to a place in west Africa Sierra Leone
- Freetown
- After the slaves helped them fight in the war they weren’t allowed to stay in Canada they had to get sent to Freetown
What dd the French navy do?
- Would rescue the slaves
- Take them to Gabon
- Town called Libreville (free town)
Impact of Slave Trade on Africans:
Loss of Relatives
Instability - Constant Warfare, Untold Human Suffering
- More guns and alcohol they got the more war broke out.
- If they spent time fighting then they were not protecting themselves
-
Famine - No cultivation and lost of prime labor
Changes in law
- Certain laws broken you were sold into slavery
Serfdom
New Class of Rulers and Traders
- Due to guns and alcohol
- They fought one another
- One person would gain power and want to attack the other to gain control
The image of slaves changed once they were free
- “The free slaves were lazy”
- Poor Africa happened because the end of slavery
Some Figures on Slavery:
Period of export: 1445 - late 19th century Number of Slaves taken: 9 - 16 million Chief transporter of Slavery - English (41%), Portuguese (29%), French (19%), Dutch(6%), North Americans (3%) Danes (1%)
Areas where slaves were sent to:
Europe(0.5%), Sao Tome (1.3%), Caribbean (49%), Brazil (38%), Spanish Colonies (6%), North America (4.5%)
