Term 2 - Transatlantic Slave trade Flashcards
Where and from whom did slave traders buy their slaves?
West Coast of Africa
Africans who captured ordinary people
Who in America bought the most slaves (at auctions just like cattle) and why?
Plantation owners
They needed a big labour force to keep up with Britain’s demands for raw materials
Name three persons who led rebellions (and escapes) against slave owners.
Nat Turner
John Brown
Joseph Cinque
Harriet Tubman
When did the first Europeans arrive in West Africa
1400s
How did the Trans-Saharan Arab slave trade work?
Arabs bought slaves in West Africa and took them to countries that is now called Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Turkey, Pakistan and India (11-18 million over a few hundred years)
What was used as money in the slave trade?
Cowrie shells
True or false: The slave trade started when the Europeans started taking slaves?
False: It was already in place for hundreds of years (think the Egyptians who used slaves to build the pyramids 3500 years ago)
True or false: In Mali between 1235 and 1645 a third of the population of Mali was enslaved
True
Was there a difference between the Mali slaves and the Arab slaves
Yes - Mali slaves had some rights, but Arab slaves had no rights
Was there a difference between Mali and American slaves?
Yes - American slaves were treated very harshly because it was “big business”
Why did the West Africans need slaves?
Communal lands had to be worked on
Some were criminals\
Some paid off debt
Some joined the Mali army
Mention all the types of plantations that were established in the Southern States of North America (which lead to the need for slaves as labour force)
Tobacco Cotton Rice Indigo (to make blue dye from the plant) Sugar-cane
Why did Britain look towards America to provide raw materials (that lead to huge plantations and slaves)?
The industrial revolution in Britain made that they could not keep up with producing raw materials because their climate was not suitable
Name three reasons American Plantation owners started buying slaves
- Native Americans did not need work because they were self-sustainable
- The hired indentured servants (contract workers for a period of time) were not enough and left employment after getting skills)
- The huge plantations were very labour intensive and with slaves more profits could be made and the business controlled more)
Name one young West African man that was captured but lived to give his testimony
Offobah Cugoano
Where were slaves kept at the coast once they were captured and then “death marched” for 100s of kms to the coast
The Slave traders built forts on the coast
Name some aspects of the slave markets …
Auctioned like cattle
Eyes and teeth examined
Fat rubbed into bodies to make them shine
High price = young, strong, pretty
Low price = cripple, weak joints, curved back, narrow chest
Highest price = slaves with experience on plantations and skills like carpentry
Very cruel system: Kids could be separated from their parent(s)
How many slaves were taken to America 1619-1865 and how many died?
12 million
2 million perished
What happened to the raw materials that were craited?
British factories made cotton into clothing, blue indigo for fabrics dyeing, sugar, alcoholic drinks from molasses, tobacco leaves for cigarettes and snuff.
THEN it was sold BACK to the people in America!
THEN some were taken to West Africa to buy more slaves!!
Explain the Economic Triangle of the Slave trade
- Slaves from West Africa and Carribean
- Raw materials from colonies in America to Europe (Britain)
- Manufactured goods in Europe back to America (and West Africa)
NB: Study the map on Page 110 of the handbook!
Where were the plantations in America?
The southern states of America:
- Virginia
- Louisiana
- Georgia
- South and North Carolina
True of false: All slaves were on the same level
False: There were top positions who worked inside the house (cooks, house cleaners, babysitters, washer women, carriage drivers)
The others worked 6 days a week from sunrise to sunset with a strict overseer with a whip!
True or false: Slave masters gave their slaves new names and branded them?
True! Imagine being branded! Terrible
Were the slaves allowed to have drums in their religious ceremonies?
No, they could use the drums to communicate and organise rebellions
Were the slaves allowed to practice their own traditional religion?
No, they had to follow the Christian religion.
Name a few inhumane punishments the slaves had to endure
Whipped with an iron-tipped whip
Put in chains
Put in small cage for days with only some bread and water
Wear a metal collar or chains on your feet
Separated from your family
INHUMANE!!!
Did slaves have any rights and possessions?
No
Did the slaves just accept the European Christian missionary preachers (who told them to be obedient and work hard)?
No, they organised their own secret services (with dance and song about God helping overcome hardships)
What were the songs named that slaves sang to escape the boredom of the work?
“Negro spirituals” - they were about hope freedom and a better future (and the faith to survive the harsh plantations)
What was the role of stories for the slaves?
The folk-tales distracted them from the terrible work on the plantations. It used animals with supernatural powers of magic to overcome their hardships. The small animal (slave) usually wins over the big animal (master).
What did RESISTANCE to slavery look like?
Sluggishness Passivity Indifference Shirking Alcoholism Flight Suicide Arson Murder
Why did slavery leave deep psychological effects on the American nation?
Abuse, torture, violence, racism - the African children grew up feeling inferior to Europeans
Which famous slave lead a rebellion against slavery in Virginia in 1831?
Nat Turner
How many followers joined Nat Turner in his rebellion and what did they do>
70 - they went from house to house killing the masters and setting the slaves free
What was the after effect of the Nat Turner revolt?
Slaves were not allowed to meet without a white minister
Illiteracy - They were not allowed to learn to read or write
What was the name of the ship on which the slave Joseph Cinqué led a mutiny in 1839
The Amistad
What happened to the Slaves of the Amistad after their mutiny?
The sailors tricked them and sailed back to America They were captured, jailed and tried They won the court case! 36 were sent back to Africa in 1842 A great success for the abolitionists
What was the secret route called that helped runaway slaves escape to the northern states of America (where they would be free as there were no slavery in northern America)
The Underground Railway
How did the Underground Railway work?
Whites against slavery’s homes were stations (safe shelter)
Bright candles in the windows indicated a shelter
The runaway slaves were called passengers
The people who led them along roads and through forests were called conductors
The slave owners would track the passengers and conductors and have them imprisoned or killed
Which famous conductor (on the Underground Railway) was called Moses?
Harriet Tubman
How many slaves did Harriet Tubman bring to North America and Canada?
300 in 19 trips
How big was the reward for the capture or Harriet Tubman (Moses)?
$40 000
Who was a famous abolitionist that led an unsuccessful slave rebellion but gave speeches at his trial that told America about the brutality of slavery and became a martyr?
John Brown
What was one of the reasons for the American Civil War
The Southern Stated wanted to break away from the Northern States because they wanted to continue with slavery. After 4 years the North won and slavery was abolished.
What were the “positive” impacts of the transatlantic slave trade on West Africa?
Africans got: guns iron alcohol pot pans agricultural implements blankets cloth Standard of living
What were the negative impacts of the transatlantic slave trade on West Africa?
- Labour of strong young men were lost
- Raids to capture slaves led to political instability
- Africans relied on slave trade and did not develop mother industries
- Crimes now too quickly punished by making someone a slave
- Families started judging each other by number of slaves owned (and not cattle)
- Disastrous effect on long-term economic growth and development
- Encouraged racism in the rest of the world (Africans seen as inferior labourers)
How did America’s economy benefit from slavery?
- Slave owners built roads, railways and slave ships
- American presidents owned slaves
- Ordinary people owned skilled slaves (carpenters, tailors, bakers, bricklayers, painters, masons, spinners, weavers)
What was the negatives of slavery on America’s economy?
- The Civil war in which over half a million Americans died
- Psychological scars still felt today (Africans seen as inferior to Europeans and therefore Americas grow up racist
- Created a large weak economic underclass (mostly Africans - hence more racism)
- Segregation of white and black schools and churches
True or false: 1750-1780 70% of Britains’s income came from taxing goods from the transatlantic slave trade.
True (this gave rise to the industrial revolution)
Who became very wealthy in Britain because of the slave trade?
Slave ship owners slave ship traders factory owners bankers who charged interest ordinary people (jobs in the factories)
Why was the slave trade so wrong?
It was morally wrong (punt en klaar)
In the whole one cannot say the positives outweigh the negatives as people’s lives were lost for over 300 years!
Name four people groups that benefitted from the Transatlantic slave trade?
British
Americans
Arab slave traders
African slave traders