Slave Trade Flashcards
The organisation and nature of the slave trade
The outward passage
The middle passage
The home passage
What is the outward passage
Ships would load goods in britain and sail to west africa to trade for slaves
What is the middle passage
Slaves would be loaded and then be shipped to the west indies and sold
What is the home passage
The ship would load west indian produce to sell when it returned to britain
The slave trades effects on british ports and the british economy
Slave produced goods such as sugar and coffee were imported into british ports helping them to become rich and powerful trading centres.
Manufactured goods made in britain were traded in africa or exported to the plantations (guns, alcohol) which kept industry going in britain.
Glasgow made great profits from the trade in tobacco and sugar and this led to large improvements in the city.
Bristol became wealthy through its involvement in the sugar trade and the money helped push development in the city.
Two hundred years of trading in african slaves allowed britian to become a world economic power and helped to finance the industrial revolution.
The scottish slave master, john newland, who owned plantations in jamaica, left money in his will for the people of bathgate which means they could build bathgate academy
The slave trades effects on african societies
Tribal conflict - kingdom of dahomey sent raiding parties to capture slaves to sellonto europeans demand for more slaves led to increased hatred and violence between tribes which was made worse by the introduction of guns.
Loss of population - the population was further reduced by the fact that disease spread more easily due to the movement of captured enslaves people within africa.
Racism - propoganda used by slave traders meant racist ideas became normalised.
Transport - transport networks were set up, this led to clearer connections between inland africa and the coast, which made slave trading easier too.
Slave factories - slave factories developed on the coast to control the trade, and this led to the terrible treatment of enslaved africans.
Economy - many coastal africans left the area because of the location of the slave factories and this meant they lost their jobs if they worked as fishermen
Slave ‘factories’ on the african coast
The chiefs would raid a rival village and sell their captured enemies as slaves.
Captives were bound together at the neck and marched barefoot hundreds of miles to the atlantic coast.
There they were examined by a surgeon and those who were judged fit were bought by the factory’s owning company.
Conditions in slave factories were terrible (for example, many slaves were beaten, kept in underground cells, slaves died).
The slaves passes as fit were branded on the chest with a hot iron to stop the african traders from switching bought slaves with unfit ones.
Diseases like malaria were common amongst slaves - in the 1770s approx. 45% of enslaved africans died while waiting.
The economics and conditions of the middle passage
Women and children at risk of abuse from crew.
Slaves brought on deck each morning. Men’s leg irons linked to chains running down centre of ship’s deck - made to dance for exercise.
Disease and seasickness.
No toilets or washing facilities.
When there was a shortage of food or water slaves were often thrown overboard.
Suicide amongst slaves.
The importance of tropical crops such as sugar
The sugar cane plant was the main crop produced on the numerous plantations throughout the caribbean during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Almost every island was covered with sugar plantations and mills for refining the cane for its sweet properties.
Sugar was bought by the british, who used it in cakes and to sweeten tea.
Although sugar was the most important crop in the caribbean, other crops such as, coffee, indigo and rice were also grown.
Sugar production was labour intensive.
The introduction of slavery to the caribbean
Arawaks were used at first but the problem was that they died from european diseases like, small pox.
Bond servants were also used but african slaves were needed because bond servants gained freedom after 4 years and many died out.
Convicts were also used at first but there wasn’t enough of them to support production.
African slaves were used because there were large numbers of them available and slavery wasn’t new to africa.
They made good workers because they were used to the heat and didn’t react badly to european diseases.
Life on plantations was extremely difficult with a third of newly imported slaves dying after 3 years, this created a constant demand for new slaves to replace them
Negative impact of slavery on the caribbean
The caribbean became more violent. this meant there was the constant fear of rebellion.
Sugar production required the landscape to be cleared to make way for plantations. this meant the natural beauty of the island landscape was damaged by the growth of plantations.
The caribbeans over reliance on sugar production meant that any fall in the price internationaly would damage its economy.
The slave system in the caribbean relied on the belief that white people were superior to enslaved black people, this meant that society in the caribbean was extremely racist.
New diseases were introduced to the islands and native people were used as slave labour. this meant that the native tribes were wiped out.
The impact of british rule meant that people in places like jamaica were left with a sense of injustice.
Slave auctions
Posters adveristising slave auctions would go up as soon as ships arrive.
The slaves had to be healthy so that they would fetch a higher price.
Signs of disease on the skin or gums were covered with paints.
Wounds slaves had recieved from punishments were filled with hot tar.
Slaves were brought in front of potential buyers, often naked, and would be inspected before bidding began.
In a bidding auction, the enslaved were sold to the highest bidder.
Living and working conditions on the plantations
Loss of identity- forced to speak english and convert to christianity.
Many died or committed suicide. others resisted or were punished.
Most slaves, including women and children, worked on sugar plantations where conditions were very harsh.
The slaves lived in flimsy huts that were draughty and cold in winter.
White masters had complete control over the lives of their slaves and treated them like mere property.
On average slaves in the british west indies survived for only seven years.
Discipline
Slaves were whipped if they did not work hard enough.
As slaves had no rights, plantation owners were free to act as dictators.
The lawyers and judges of the island were slave owners, so there was little interest in prosecuting for the mistreatment of slaves.
Branded with hot iron.
Forced to wear heavy iron chains.
Iron muzzles.
Other forms of slave labour on caribbean islands
At first the native indigenous peoples were enslaved to meet the demands of production but were never enough on the islands to meet the planters’ demands.
Death rates were high due to: lack of immunity to European disease epidemics such as smallpox, the ill-treatment and killing of those who resisted, and the harsh conditions of slavery.
British indentured servants were poor people who signed contracts to work in return for food, clothes and shelter.
Criminals were sent as punishment for a specific period, seen as an alternative to hanging
