Life in Africa before the Slave Trade

Question 1

Describe life in Africa before the Slave Trade

Answer 1

1. People had jobs such as priests, scribes and doctors
2. Farming was the main form of employment in Africa
3. For currency they used bars of gold
4. Music and dancing were very important aspects of African culture
5. Africans had the skills to make saddles, farming equipment and cooking equipment
6. They had manuscripts and written books

Question 2

Describe the key aspects of the Middle Passage

Answer 2

1. Slaves were forced to dance to keep them exercised so they looked fit for their auctions, if they grew tired or refused to dance they were whipped by crew
2. Slaves were fed with ground up maize, horse beans and salted beef 10 slaves were often fed from 1 bucket
3. Any ill slaves were starved so no food was wasted
4. Only allowed on deck once a day if the weather was good
5. Men were kept in chains out of fear that they would overpower the crew but females could walk around free
6. If a slave refused to eat the crew would break their teeth and force them to eat
7. If a slave died they would be thrown overboard there was no ceremony
8. Slaves were cleaned with seawater

Question 3

Describe Life in a plantation in the Caribbean

Answer 3

1. Slaves were encouraged to have large families so plantation owners could gain free slaves when they had babies
2. Slaves were given basic materials to build their homes. These shacks were close to the plantation owner’s house so they could keep an eye on them
3. The hot conditions of the Caribbean exhausted the slaves, they would often die from overworking
4. Slaves were watched by overseers, they would often get harshly punished for very little. Whipping and thumb screws were common punishments, Slaves could also be forced to wear punishment collars or muzzles
5. Most slaves worked in sugarcane fields. This was hard dangerous work as snakes lived amongst the crops and accidents could happen with the sharp tools they used
6. Slaves were forced to give up their old religion and practise christianity instead
7. Slaves were forced to work for 12 hours a day with only half hour break
8. A team of domestic slaves worked in the main house, they cooked and cleaned for the plantation owner

Question 4

What impact did the Slave Trade have on the Caribbean islands

Answer 4

1. People lived in fear of slave uprisings and the islands became more violent
2. Small local farms were demolished to make way for large plantations, which grew more sugar for a greater profit
3. The slave trade brought racist attitudes to the Caribbean
4. New diseases were brought over from Europe, many native people died as they did not have immunity to these new european diseases
5. Many of the vegetation and animal species native to the Caribbean islands became extinct as large areas of forest were cleared to make way for plantations
6. The Caribbean’s over reliance on sugar production meant that any fall in the price internationally would damage its economy
7. Slave uprisings caused damage and destruction

Question 5

How did slaves resist on plantations

Answer 5

1. Some slaves refused to take their slave name
2. Domestic slaves would spit in the food and drinks of their masters
3. Slaves played dumb with their masters and would pretend they could not understand english
4. They would kill the plantation animals
5. They would break the tools they were given to work with
6. They would refuse to eat
7. They would run away
8. Slaves would refuse to have children
9. Speaking their own African/ tribal dialect

Question 6

Why did slaves find it difficult to revolt/resist on the Caribbean islands

Answer 6

1.Slave owners put up posters describing runaways, making it harder for them to remain free
2. Slaves were often tired and hungry, so did not have the energy to resist
2. They would receive harsh punishments if they were caught revolting
3. Black slaves were easily spotted off plantations due to the colour of their skin, it was uncommon to see slaves unaccompanied by an overseer or plantation owner
4. The whites had guns but the slaves had no weapons
5. They would be hunted down, making it hard for them to remain free
6. Their family might be punished if they run away/they could be separated by their family
7. Many slaves thought it was best to stay on the plantation because they had no money, food or place to go once they left

Question 7

Describe the triangular trade

Answer 7

1. In a British port a ship is loaded with goods that are highly in demand in Africa such as copper pots and pans, guns, ammunition and cloth
2. This ship sails to Africa
3. The ship arrives on the west coast of Africa and the goods are traded for a cargo of slaves usually brought from slave factories along the coast
4. The ship is loaded up with slaves chained up in the hold
5. The ship sails across the Middle passage to the Caribbean islands this takes 6-8 weeks
6. When they reach the Caribbean islands slaves are sold off at auctions to plantation owners
7. A cargo of goods consisting of tobacco, rum and sugar is bought with the money the slave traders got for the people. This cargo is put in the ships and sailed back to Britain and then sold for a profit

Question 8

What effect did the slave trade have on Africa

Answer 8

1. It destroyed tribal customs
2. European slave traders would bring guns with them which led to warfare between African tribes
3. Slave traders encouraged war and violence between tribes so that more prisoners could be captured and taken on as slaves
4. Many young workers were captured, this meant villages did not have workers to continue on their trade in the future, this led to poverty in Africa
5. Due to these wars, many crops were destroyed which led to a mass famine
6. Many Africans were taken, this left their families devastated
7. European slave traders took supplies from Africa, such as cloth and metals, which led to local crafts dying out
8. Some African rulers and states such as Dahomey grew rich and powerful

Question 9

Who were the key abolitionists and what tactics did they use

Answer 9

1. Granville Sharp - A lawyer who fought for slaves freedom in court. He was one of the founding members of the abolitionist movement in England.
2. Thomas Clarkson - Travelled Britain giving talks to the public on the harsh treatment of slaves. He collected equipment from slave ships such as thumb screws and manacles to use as visual evidence of the cruel treatment of slaves and to shock the public
3. William WIlberforce - He was an MP who campaigned for 20 years against the slave trade. He gave regular speeches and proposed anti-slavery laws in Parliament
4. Olaudah Equiano - A former slave who bought his freedom. He wrote a bestseller book about his life called ‘An interesting narrative’. This changed many people’s views on the slave trade by making them see how horrific it was
5. The Quakers - A religious group who condemned slavery. They said slavery was against God’s will. Religion was a huge influence as many people were christian, and so adopted the quaker’s views and attitudes towards slavery
6. Josiah Wedgwood - A potter who designed the famous ‘Am I not a Man and a Brother?’ seal. He made the design into cameos - which made the Abolitionist fashionable

Question 10

What were the conditions in Slave Factories

Answer 10

1. Cells were poorly ventilated as the only source of fresh air and light was a small window
2. Slaves were kept in their cells for as long as it took for a trading ship to appear, this could last from days to months
3. Slaves were chained in the factories.
4. Slaves would be examined by a surgeon and those who were judged fit were bought by the factory’s owning company
5. The enslaved people passed as fit were branded on the chest with a hot iron
6. Men and women had to be split up into different cells
7. Slaves would be kept in punishment cells for rebellious behaviour.

Question 11

Why did the abolitionists succeed

Answer 11

1. Many christians believed it was against God and the word of the bible
2. The slave trade was no longer as profitable as it had been as sugar could now be imported more cheaply from places such as India
3. The slave trade was less profitable, slaves were becoming more expensive to buy and were not selling for as much
4. The abolitionists were effective in highlighting the horrors of the trade, this made many people oppose slavery after hearing about the inhumane treatment slaves received
5. Idea of ending the slave trade was popular amongst the British population
6. Petitions to Parliament and the boycott of West India sugar attracted hundreds of thousands of supporters

Question 12

Why did it take so long to end the slave trade

Answer 12

1. The slave trade brought wealth to Britain, so was popular with those who became wealthy from it
2. Profits from the slave trade were essential to fund the war with France
3. The products of the slave trade were in great demand and many believed that slavery was needed in order to meet the demand for these products
4. The slave trade still enjoyed the support from King George the III
5. Involvement in the Slave Trade helped Britain to remain a world power, so many continued to support slavery
6. Many MP’s had financial interest in the slave trade, so wished to see it continue
7. Thousands of people would lose their jobs. Many people in cities such as Liverpool depended on the slave trade for work

Question 13

What methods did abolitionists use

Answer 13

1. They wrote poems and books to get their message across. This appealed to both men and women
2. People started boycotting sugar, which caused some damage to the profitability of the slave trade. This movement particularly appealed to women
3. The campaigners used plays, paintings and cartoons to get their message across. This made the abolitionist seem very fashionable and cultured.
4. The abolitionists put forward many petitions to the government for the slave trade to stop, and collected thousands of signatures
5. Abolitionists put stories of atrocities about the slave trade into newspapers as more people were learning to read. They also organised letter-writing campaigns
6. The Abolitionists were supported by experts like Granville Sharp and used the courtroom and the law to fight their case
7. They presented bills to abolish the slave trade to Parliament.
8. Public meetings were held across the country, and would have people like former slaves speaking at them

Question 14

How did the slave trade affect the British economy

Answer 14

1. Many banks were set up to give slave merchants loans and insurance
2. Thousands of jobs opened up in the ports involved in the slave trade, such as dockhands, shipwrights and crews for the slave ships
3. The slave trade turned Liverpool into one of the most prosperous and wealthy trading cities in the world.
4. Liverpool’s annual profit was around £300,000
5. The upper classes of Britain grew rich as they often invested and owned plantations in the Americas
6. In Bristol industries such as copper-smelting, sugar refining and glass-making grew as a result of the slave trade
7. Slave cotton provided work in British mills, where textiles/cloth and clothing were produced