Chapter 25 - Slave Trade Flashcards
Who was Adam Smith?
Adam Smith was a Scottish economist and moral philosopher. He is considered the father of capitalism and believed in
laissez-faire, “hands-off government”, which refers to a society with no government intrusion. He wrote “Wealth of Nations” in 1776.
What is mercantilism?
Mercantilism is an economic practice that dominated Europe in the 16th to 19th century. Its aim was to strengthen the national economy. Under this practice, wealth was measured in gold and silver treasure. Dependency on foreign supplies was also limited. There was high tariff on the import of finished goods and a low/no tariff on the import of raw materials. Alternatively, there was also low/no taxes on the export of finished goods and a high tax on the export of raw materials. New markets for domestic manufactured products were sought in attempt to artificially increase the demand for the domestic product.
What is capitalism?
Capitalism is an economic practice where privately owned and operated parties make goods and services in a free market. Supply and demand determined price. It favored the nuclear family (husband, wife, and two kids) because a bad investment would only affect the immediate members.
What economic practice in Russia was the opposite of capitalism?
Serfdom served as the opposite to capitalism. It was a labor system that required peasants to provide labor services for land owners and prevented them from marrying or moving away without the permission of the landowner.
What were the 3 primary sources of slaves in Africa?
The 3 primary sources were prizes of war, criminals, and exiled clanspersons. Clan members were often exiled after betrayal or theft. Stranded in the desert, these exiles were picked up by a third party and put into slavery.
What are some examples of jobs that slaves were forced to do by their owners?
Some jobs include: agricultural laborer, administrator, soldiers, advisors.
How did African society view land ownership?
African society did not recognize private property. Instead, land was owned by clans or communities rather than an individual. Thus, wealth and power was showcased by your amount of animal or human laborers.
What was the Islamic Slave Trade?
In the 8th century, Muslim merchants from North Africa, Arabia, and Persia sought to trade in order to gain slaves. Raiding parties that were often composed of cavalry were sent out on this mission. 10,000,000 were put into slavery throughout this time.
Why did the Portuguese trade firearms for slaves?
They set up posts and traded firearms for slaves because they were unsuccessful in their attempts to capture slaves by force. Their attempts to capture them forcefully was stopped by African tribes using poison darts.
What did African tribes use firearms for?
They traded off slaves in exchange for firearms and then used these weapons to forcefully capture more slaves. These new slaves were then traded off for more firearms. Even though there was a small population in Africa at the time, they were still powerful because of their wealth and weapons.
Why did the Portuguese need slaves?
They needed laborers for their sugar plantations. The previous laborers in this position were wiped out by disease.
Why is it a bad idea to bundle a slave with their family?
If a slave is bundled with their family, there is a greater chance of rebellion.
What is triangular trade?
Triangular trade was a system of trade (a notable example is the Transatlantic Journey) that involved 3 legs. A benefit of this system is profit. An example of this is Europe giving horses, goods, and firearms to Africa. Africa then gives enslaved Africans to the Caribbean and Americas. Finally, the Caribbean and Americas give sugar/molasses, money, and American products to Europe.
How many slaves were crammed into slave ships?
Slave ships were very crowded and contained 200-300+ slaves.
What was the Colombian Exchange?
It was the widespread trade fruits, plants, foods, etc. that resulted in an imported disease that decimated the indigenous Indian population. After the disease, there were few laborers remaining. The few remaining were unwilling to work and were revolting.
