The Atlantic Slave Trade Flashcards
1
Q
Describe the Triangular Trade
A
- Left Britain with goods
- West Africa, trade, slave factories
- middle passage,slush,suicide
- West Indies, prepared, sold, plantations
- Britain, sold goods
2
Q
Describe the effect on Africa
A
- Population decrease, males 16-25, 9million
- rich African chiefs, King of Dahomey
- barren farm land, crops grown for slave ships, population suffered
- increase wars, tribes/countries,nature of warfare changed (guns)
- African economy? European goods destroyed this, Didn’t make their own
- central to Triangular Trade, created culture that acceptable to get slaves
3
Q
Describe how slaves were prepared for sale
A
- slathered in oil, look healthy, palm oil
- cork up bum, dysentery, diahrrea
- inspected, teeth and tongue for health and age
- tar in scars, whip marks=bad,disobedient
- scrubbed
- lemon, lavender oils, smell nice
4
Q
Explain why slaves were prepared for sale
A
- sell to highest bidder, make most money
- make slaves look good
- make slave captains look good if slaves healthy
- cover up horrors of middle passage, anti-abolitionists
5
Q
Describe punishments
A
- whipping, cat o nine tails, most common
- pickled, wounds covered in vinegar
- molasses, covered+left out all night for flies and mosquitoes, painful+embarrassing
- shackled, restrained so couldn’t move, bullies, neck brace
- isolation, 48hrs no food water contact, spiked neck brace
- sexual exploitation, cause of deep hurt+ humiliation
6
Q
Explain the reasons why slaves were punished
A
- run away, less profit, severe punishment deter others
- work too slow, produce less products=less money
- tried to hurt themselves, couldn’t work
- stealing food, sugar cane
- affairs, owners wanted control slaves, rebelling against owners wishes
- poor time management, slept in/ late
7
Q
Describe the effect on British ports
A
- Banking and insurance industry grew in London
- creation of jobs, rope makers, insurance companies, shipyards
- Richer merchants
- Liverpool grew from small fishing town to city producing 2/5 slave ships, centre
- Glasgow flourished due to money, reflected in street names, GOMA Mr Cunningham
- citizens benefited, James Gillespie school for boys, royal infirmary of Edinburgh bequeathed Dr Archibald Kerr of Jamaica
- development of shipyards on the Clyde, change Ggow industry from fishing to shipbuilding
8
Q
Explain why the slave trade was abolished
A
- Religious support, Christian group became vocal, quakers, sin
- public support, petitions, MPs couldn’t ignore, sugar boycott
- Wilberforce, very persistent, 18 yrs, William Pitt the younger
- Britain’s trade changing, new markets, sugar from Brazil/ India with paid workers
- Pressure on MPs - lobbying
- Abolitionists, John Newton, Equiano, Sharp
9
Q
Describe life in a slave factory on the African Coast
A
- Slaves branded by owners - painful, dehumanised
- Poor sanitary conditions - no toilets, unhygienic
- Diseases - malaria, yellow fever, die
- locked away in cells - 1000 slaves in cell before ship came to take them away could take months
10
Q
Explain why it was difficult for enslaved people to resist in Africa?
A
- No leader - any efforts messy, unorganised, easier to get caught
- Punishments - caught, publicly flogged, beaten, killed, threat of death too risky
- Guarded cells - trapped, all they could do was shout abuse, if escaped could be shot by guard
- No weapons - whites did have weapons, slaves had no form of defence or attack
- Weak from hunger/ disease - malnourished, no energy, easily overpowered
- Scared of whites - never seen whites before, frightened, confused, thought they’d be eaten!
11
Q
Describe the positive effect the slave trade had on African communities
A
- Individuals made money
- Tribes made money - Ashanti
- Population decrease meant fewer mouths to feed - less pressure on resources
- Changed warfare and made tribes like the Ashanti more powerful
- Africa became central to the slave trade
12
Q
Describe the negative effect the Slave trade had on African communities
A
- Loss of man power
- Famine - slow to develop framing techniques- made food for ships not ppl- less men to work
- Destruction of African culture
- Population decrease (9 mil left)
- More wars due to new weapons and determination to capture more slaves from other tribes
- Cheap European imports destroyed any chance of Africans developing their economy
13
Q
Describe the Middle Passage
A
- took 40-69 days
- slaves were whipped
- poor sanitary conditions- slush
- tightly packed - meant only 1/2 slaves survived journey - hold was cramped - only 5ft
- loose pack - small no.of slaves - more survived - less money lost
- Exercised - feet whipped
- Dysentery and disease - Chokra
- Death - suicide
- Raped
- Shackled
- Separated
- Food = starch based flour, water, palm oil / sea biscuits
- only given 1/2 litre water per day
- Some ships had netting to prevent suicides
14
Q
Explain why the middle passage was such a terrible experience for slaves
A
- Families were separated - men women separate holds, children kept with women
- Nutrient lacking food - starch based foods, yams, nothing to aid health, force fed
- Rape - dehumanised women, treated as objects for pleasure
- Fatal Diseases - dysentery, malaria, yellow fever, many died
15
Q
Describe the ways slaves resisted on the Middle Passage
A
- some slaves attached the crew with knives
- On one ship the cooks beck was cut
- Sailors were thrown overboard
- One one ship the skates battered the captains face to a pulp with wooden bowls
- Some committed suicide - owners lose money - form of passive resistance
