Atlantic Slave Trade Flashcards
Describe the stages of the Triangular Trade.
The outward passage was the Trade route from Britain to Africa. Commodities such as Gold,guns alcohol,Beads and cloth were taken to be traded with the African Tribes.
The Middle passage was the Trade route from Africa to the Americas. The Main commodities traded here were Enslaved Workers,Gold and Ivory.
The Homeward Passage was the Trade route from The Americas to Britain. The commodities traded here were Rum,Cotton,Sugar,Tobacco,Coffee,Molasses and rice.
What was the Commodities traded at each Stage?
The Outward Passage - Guns,Beads,Shackles,Pottery , Mahogany and Iron goods
The Middle Passage - Enslaved Workers, Gold and Ivory
The Homeward Passage - Rum,Cotton,Sugar,Tobacco Coffee , molasses and rice
Who was Going to do the Laborious work?
Natives of the West Indies Native Americans Europeans Criminals from Europe Bond-Servants
How did these people avoid doing the laborious work?
native Americans, Europeans, bond servants….
Natives of the West Indies - Most Died from poor treatment and illness spread from Europe e.g Smallpox
Native Americans - Avoided capture by running further west
Europeans - Work was too hard for them so they resisted
Criminals from Europe - Brought in from Europe, would be freed once their sentence was up
BondServants - Given free transport from Europe to America and once their 4-7 year contract was up they were free.
So why were the Africans Chosen? Try to give six points
They were used to the heat
Already had some Farming Skills
Slavery already existed in Africa
Less likely to die from diseases
Large number available
African leaders were happy to sell Africans who disobeyed laws
Morally people saw no problems, Church of England owned plantations
Why were the profits from the Triangular trade so high? Try to give six points
Made a profit at each stage
Slaves could be sold at Big Profit
Ships leaving Britain were full of cheaply produced products which all were exchanged for slaves.
Slaves would be tightly packed into ships , little to no regard for their well-being. Up to 700 slaves could fit on one ship. (more slaves = more profit)
From 1783-93 Liverpool merchants transported 305,000 slaves, resulting in huge profit.
On the homeward passage ships would be carrying items in high demand in Britain therefore making a high profit. (Sugar,Tobacco,Cotton)
What was the Economics of the Triangular Trade? Try to give six points
Slave traders needed long term loans
- Proper banking was created for the slave trade
- Lloyd’s banking group was set up at this time
Investments wouldn’t be returned immediately
- Trade route took a year to complete.Profits would only come after that year
Insurance was necessary
- Protecting Investments of wealthy traders
- Ships and cargoes were insured against loss
Other Industries Profited
- Supplying trade ships
- 100,000 guns also came from Birmingham
- Companies in Manchester sold £200,000 worth of product to be sold in the Slave Trade.
How the slave ship was packed
- Slaves could sell for between £20 & £50
- Tight Pack: More slaves but higher chance of them dying
- Loose Pack: Less Slaves but they would be healthier, selling for more
Lucrative Business
- Some voyages made between 20% and 50% profit
Investment was required to become involved
- Ships had to be bought and changed to carry slaves
- Crew,Captain, provisions , food and water were also needed
How did the British Capture the Africans?
Europeans would just kidnap them
They would be ambushed when they worked away from the village or when children were away from adults.
African “Middle-Men”
Sell members of their own tribe for punishment
African Chiefs captured members of rival tribes to trade
Some sold family members to get out of debt
Describe the Capture and March of the Enslaved Africans once they were captured? Try to give six points
Eight hours a day, 20 miles at a time, could go on for months
Connected to other slaves by Iron rings . (fetters)
Extremely hot, little food and water was provided
If people were too sick or old they would be beaten to walk faster
Over 50% died on this journey
Africans would help capture slaves
Didn’t matter what age you were, the younger the better.
Describe the conditions in the slave Factories?
no toilets, just a gutter down the middle of the room
Small holes in roof for ventilation
Very little light
Fed twice a day
Many died from malnutrition, Disease and Brutality. Bodies would be removed to a room and slaves close to dying would be moved into the same room
What was life like in the Slave Factories? Try to give six points
Slaves were brought to Slave Factories by African Chiefs or rulers
Examined by a surgeon for strength, age 35 was maximum age for first class slaves, those who were judged fit were bought by the factories owning company, these slaves were branded on the chest.
The purchased slaves were kept locked up before they were transported across the Atlantic.
Slaves who had poor eyes,teeth, hair, limbs or appeared older were second class slaves.
The were allowed out when the weather was good
They were fed bananas and beans and kept chained underground
Life for Europeans was also hard. Many died from tropical diseases like malaria and yellow fever.
Conditions were uncomfortable and often boring
How did the slave trade effect the African Population?
Impacted the male population of Africa as the men were deemed fit to do the work while the women were not.
This meant that the remaining men and women could not repopulate fast enough
How did the slave trade help in creating conflict in Africa?
To refrain from their own people being taken, some tribes acted as “Middle-men” capturing other tribes people to sell to the merchants. This created conflict that lasted long after the slave trade ended.
How did the slave trade effect the development of Africa?
If African chiefs allowed slave traders onto their land they were rewarded with commodities. This allowed for chiefs such as King Gezo to get wealthy?
How did the slave trade effect the racism in Africa?
The Atlantic Slave Trade promoted the racist ideology of White Supremacy.
How did the Slave Trade effect the Land of Africa?
Lots of good land was left un-farmed as there were not enough young healthy people to farm it.
How did the Slave Trade effect the Workforce of Africa?
Men were forced into slavery but they were the ones doing most of the manual labour in Africa. This impacted the workforce of Africa due to the women now needing to learn how to farm and hunt.
What were the General effects of the Slave Trade on Africa? Try to give six points
Slaves were the main product being exported from the Ashanti Kingdom.
The loss of population affected especially men aged 18-40
A total of 12 million Africans were forced into slavery between the 15th and 19th Centuries.
As a result of the slave trade the land in Africa had not grown in the natural way it should have.
The tribes of Africa were in a Constant state of war from 1790 to 1896
Tribes captured rival tribe Africans as slaves and prisoners of war. They traded them to the Europeans
Women had to take up hunting to fill the traditional role of men in African Societies
The trading of guns to African chiefs allowed more wars to happen
Violence spread throughout Africa due to the Introduction of Guns and Gunpowder.
Describe the Conditions on the Middle Passage? Try to give six points
Majority of the Africans journey was in chains and awful conditions leading to diseases
Many believed the whites were cannibals as they drank red wine,so they were scared.
They didn’t know what lay ahead,nobody had ever returned to tell them about it.
Families were separated, men and women were taken to different parts of the ships.
At least 2 million Africans died on the voyage (between 15 and 20%)
Slaves had their hair shaved and clothes removed before going on board, probably to dehumanise them. Also lowers chance for lice.
They were at sea for 6-12 weeks.
35,000 slave voyages travelled the middle passage
The Africans were treated as cargo now that they were on the ship.
Some 12 million Africans (slaves) were loaded onto these vessels.
At it’s peak the slave trade removed 80,000 Africans per annum
Slaves were taken to the ships by canoes, many hadn’t seen a ship, the ocean or a white man before.
Majority of the Africans journey was in chains and awful conditions leading to diseases.
Describe the treatment of slaves during the Middle Passage? Try to give six points
Lack of Fresh air below deck - Little vents in the first place but so many people breathing and sweating made it worse
Women were sexually abused
Forced to exercise - usually dancing for the crew’s entertainment
Dehumanised e.g Clothes removed, Hair cut - apparently it reduced diseases
Tight pack or loose pack
Chained together ; Usually by Hands: ankles ore neck
Toilets - were just a bucket, easily knocked over letting human waste go everywhere
Women gave birth in these conditions
They were forced to help the crew e.g clean the deck
Why did slaves not resist on the middle passage? Try to give six points
Could get caught in the net placed around the ship to stop them jumping
Slaves were weak as they were not fed well
Too scared as they thought they were cannibals
They were force fed if they refused to eat
Always chained together under deck
Severe punishments for those who tried to revolt
They did not know how to steer a ship
The crew had weapons, slaves didn’t
What were the consequences of revolt? Try to give six points
Put in thumbscrews Thrown overboard shot by the crew Flogged(whipped) Heads cut off and thrown to the sharks Hanged from the ships mast as a lesson to others.
How did the slave trade Impact British economy? Try to give six points
Banks were set up because of the slave trade; Barclay’s provided loans to merchants, Lloyd’s insured slave ships, The Bank of England provided finance for slave traders.
There were plenty jobs created because of the slave trade; Bankers,Iron Workers,Chain makers , Fisherman.
Ship Building did well
Cotton brought a lot of Industry
Higher taxes which meant more money for stronger military
Ship Building helped to improve military vessel designs
Britain could access tropical plants cheaper because of the involvement in the trade
Cities became rich and more money was spent on architecture
Benefitted Glasgow ( Tobacco Lords)
Individuals became rich i.e Thomas Leyland , Richard Oswald
Population changed as more people moved to the cities especially with ports for trading
People moved for jobs
How did the slave trade negatively impact the development of the Caribbean Islands?
The Native people were wiped out and replaced by slaves
Legal system was created that supported slavery
Slave codes were created allowing for brutal punishment
or execution of slaves if they committed offences like playing the drums, carrying weapons , meeting other slaves after dark.
The main crop produced in Jamaica was sugar, therefore the Jamaican economy relied heavily on sugar until the end of the nineteenth century so If the International price of sugar fell or it was in less demand it was disastrous for Jamaica.
The rule of the British left islands with a sense of injustice
Slaves outnumbered the whites 20 to 1 which meant there was a constant fear of rebellion
Islands were once beautiful wildernesses
Large plantations replaced the smaller farms to produce crops more profitably
