History - Movement of People Flashcards
What were some of the experiences of slaves on the boats?
- No hygiene (couldn’t bathe, no bathrooms, no sanitary products for women, sea-sickness, dead bodies on deck)
- Barely any food (fed bowls of rice once a day)
- Mistreatment (rape, beatings)
- Occasional revolts and rebellions by slaves.
- Claustrophobic
- The Zong Massacre, 1781 -> massacre in which ship crew threw 130 sick and dying slaves overboard in an attempt to save resources. The Zong’s owners then made a claim to their insurance for the loss of the enslaved.
- They were branded on their palms, shoulders, or cheeks.
- Held in barracoons before boarding the ship.
- Barricade between ship crew and slaves to prevent revolts and resistance.
- Some slaves jumped off the ship, others refused to eat.
- Were made to forcefully dance for entertainment purposes and to keep slaves physically active.
- Roughly 2 million didn’t survive.
- Heads shaved, stripped of clothing and possessions.
- In compartments, ceilings were only 4.5 feet above the floor.
- They were segregated by gender and age.
What were some of the European pro-slavery arguments?
- Bishops argued that the conversion of slaves were necessary for their spiritual wellbeing and entrance to heaven.
- Some argued that they assisted with the boom of the economy.
Why did the convicts move from England to Australia?
- Demand for labour was low due to the Industrial Revolution.
- Led to low unemployment rate.
- Overpopulation, mass movement to the cities and desperation caused crime rates to rise.
- Overpopulation and too many convicts made the government utilise transportation sentences (originally to the America, but because of the War of Independence, Australia was used instead).
Why did regular British citizens choose to move to Australia?
- For new opportunities.
- Because they were seeking for a better way of life.
- The abundance of land came at a low cost or for free, which was the driving factor for many free settlers.
- > They were also given convict labour to work on their farms.
- Between 1830-1850, roughly 200,000 free settlers had migrated to Australia.
What is the Middle Passage?
The Middle Passage was the stage of the triangular trade in which millions of dark-skinned and healthy West Africans were forcibly transported to the New World as part of the Atlantic slave trade.
What was the Triangular Trade system?
Slave trade in the Atlantic was part of a system known as the Triangular Trade.
and on the third leg, they exported to Europe the sugar, rum, cotton, and tobacco produced by the enslaved labor force. Traders referred to the Africa-Americas part of the voyage as the “Middle Passage” and the term has survived to denote the Africans’ ordeal.
What was the first leg of Triangular Trade and what did they do?
On the first leg of their three-part journey, often called the Triangular Trade, European ships brought manufactured goods, weapons, even liquor to Africa in exchange for slaves.
What did they do for the second leg?
On the second, they transported African men, women, and children to the Americas to serve as slaves;
What did they export on the third leg?
Third leg, they exported to Europe the sugar, rum, cotton, and tobacco produced by the enslaved labor force.
When did the slave trade begin and end?
It began during the 15th century and ended during the 19th century.
When did the slave trade begin and end?
It began during the 15th century and ended during the 19th century. (1525s - 1866)
What was selling a slave to the highest bidder?
Sold to the highest bidder;
- Slaves taken from the pen.
- People could inspect the slaves before the bidding began.
- Slaves had to endure being poked, prodded and forced to open their mouths for the buyer.
- Auctioneer decides on price to start bidding (higher for fit, young slaves and lower for older, very young or sickly slaves).
- Potential buyers bid against each other.
- Person who would bid the most would take ownership of the slave.
- Crew would shave heads.
- Slaves were washed and their skin was rubbed with oil to make it shine -> shiny skin makes muscles look bigger.
What was the average price of slaves?
In 1860, there were four million slaves, with their net market worth roughly $800. This is roughly equivalent to $150,000 USD (in 2016).
What was a grab and go auction?
- People who wanted to buy a slave the day before the auction would pay the trader an agreed upon amount of money.
- Trader would give person a ticket for each slave they had bought.
- At the sound of a drum roll, the door to the slave pen would be opened and the buyers would rush in and grab the slave or slaves that they wanted.
- Buyers then checked out the slavs by returning the ticket to the trader.
- Slaves were frightened -> they didn’t understand the language and had no idea what was happening.
Why did Africans sell slaves? Who sold them?
Because;
- Could get weaponry (and as a result, power), from selling slaves.
- African kings and elders…
