Migration: British Colonies and the Slave Trade

Question 1

What were the economic factors that caused people to leave Britain?

Answer 1

• high rates of unemployment
• low wages for farmers and labourers
• starvation due to failed harvests
• chance of making money abroad through cash crops, plantations and fishing

Question 2

What were the religious factors that caused people to leave Britain?

Answer 2

• Christian groups such as the Quakers and Puritans faced religious persecution
• promise of religious freedom in America
• wanted to convert the indigenous people of America
• civil war increased conflict between religions

Question 3

Why did people move to Jamestown, Virginia?

Answer 3

To find gold and grow crops

Question 4

What problems did settlers face in Jamestown Virginia? How?

Answer 4

Conflict between early settler and indigenous people whose land they were occupying

Question 5

When did people move to Jamestown, Virginia?

Answer 5

1607

Question 6

Was the Jamestown settlement a success? Why/ why not?

Answer 6

Yes due to tobacco plantations

Question 7

Why did Settlers move to new Plymouth?

Answer 7

To escape religious persecution

Question 8

When did settlers move to New Plymouth?

Answer 8

1620

Question 9

What were the aims of the New Plymouth colony?

Answer 9

• set up their own colony
• fishing and trading with other colonies
• farmed offshore cod

Question 10

How do the principles of the New Plymouth colony settlers relate to modern day America?

Answer 10

Formed the basis of modern day America:
- established democratic principles and a constitution to keep their Puritan beliefs central to the colony

Question 11

What was the impact of the British on the indigenous people living in the Americas?

Answer 11

• spreading diseases that they don’t have immunity to
• attacking crops and villages
• destroyed their nomadic way of life
• intermarriages
• wiped out their population

Question 12

How big is the current indigenous population of America?

Answer 12

0.7%

Question 13

Why were slaves preffered to indentured servants?

Answer 13

• enslaved people were a cheap source of labour
• could buy ensalved people outright - couldn’t do that w indentured servants
• enslaved people had no legal rights + worked without payment
• any children born to the enslaved people became the owner’s property which increased the size of the unpaid workforce

Question 14

What was the slave triangle?

Answer 14

How enslaved peopole were taken from Africa to America and the Carribbean

Question 15

What happened in Britain in the slave triangle?

Answer 15

Traders leave with goods to trade

Question 16

What happened in Africa in the slave triangle?

Answer 16

Goods traded with tribe leaders in exchange for prisoners of war, some also kidnapped

Question 17

What happened in America and the Caribbean in the slave triangle?

Answer 17

Enslaved people traded with plantation owners + farmers for goods such as sugar, cotton or tobacco

Question 18

What was the economic impact of the slave trade?

Answer 18

• slave trade industry made approx. £60 mill. from 1761 to 1808
• Britain became one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world

Question 19

What was the profit expected by the traders involved in the slave triangle?

Answer 19

800%

Question 20

How much money did Britain make from the slave triangle?

Answer 20

£60 million

Question 21

What was the social impact of the slave trade?

Answer 21

• west coast towns and ports : Glasgow, Liverpool and Bristol grew into large cities using the profits of the slave trade
• led to the belief in white supremacy and how the Europeans were superior to the Africans

Question 22

When was the slave trade abolished?

Answer 22

1807

Question 23

What did the government do due to the abolishment the slave trade?

Answer 23

Government agreed to pay slave owners of the time compensation, which was £20 mill in total