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
16
Q
Explain why it was difficult for enslaved people to resist on the middle passage
A
- scared/ in shock
- no weapons
- language barrier
- weak from hunger/ disease
- shackled
- threat of beatings
R rally weak from hunger and disease
E nemies had guns
S hackled
I have nowhere to go
S evere punishments
T oo many languages
17
Q
Describe slave auctions in the Caribbean
A
- Before - owners did most to make slaves look healthy - scrub, oil skin, tar scars
- Slaves kept in pens, make sure can’t escape
- Young fit makes sold for highest prices, old or ill sold for low prices
- slave goes to highest bidder
- scramble sales - buyers grab slaves they wanted to buy
- slaves not bought = left to die
18
Q
Describe what conditions were like for enslaved people on Caribbean plantations
A
- Owners immediately began to break in new slaves - forced to learn new language - new name
- Forced to work 12 hrs a day
- slaves subjected to severe discipline, torture, cruelty and sexual abuse
- Most slaves were field hands - cleared and ploughed the land, dug holes, cut the sugar cane, and boiled it
- Boiling was dangerous job - fingers trapped, some fell into massive boiling pots
- Slaves lived in flimsy huts that were draughty and cold in winter
- Fed only cheapest food like salt herring, often turned rotten
- Some plantations families given small gardens to grow yams + vegetables and raise animals
- some tried to escape but if caught got no mercy from owners who wanted to make an example of them
19
Q
Describe slave codes
A
- Islands passed laws called ‘slave codes’, setting out the rights of masters and the duties of enslaved ppl
- some of these codes also said slaves weren’t to be abused - owners often ignored this
- slaves who disobeyed or resisted even in small ways were violently punished - in Antigua it was not a crime to kill a slave till 1723
- The lawyers and judges of the island were slave owners, so there was little interest in prosecuting for the mistreatment of slaves
20
Q
Explain why salves were punished
A
- Producing less products = owner lose money
- Owners punished to show who was in charge
- losing slaves was bad business
- not being able to work would cost owner money
- stealing was forbidden and owners wanted to assert control
- Owners wanted to control slaves
21
Q
Describe the ways slaves resisted on plantations
A
- Running away
- Keep African traditions alive, not be suppressed entirely by their owners ( Keep own names in secret, music)
- Slaves pretended to be stupid, working slowly and broke tools and machines
- Women terminated pregnancies/ kill newborns to deprive owners of another slave
- Cooks tried to poison owners
- Attempts to kill owners
- Uprising or rebellion - Haiti in 1791
- Steal from owner
- Cut one lets go prohibit working
- Pretended to be sick
22
Q
Explain why it was difficult for enslaved people to resist their owners on plantations
A
- Weak from hunger/ disease
- Nowhere to go
- Language Barrier
- Easily identified ( skin colour)
- Weak from illness
- Severe punishments
- Slave owners had weapons
- Rewards for captured slaves made finding slaves popular
23
Q
Describe life as a slave working in the field
A
- work very long hours - during harvest time could even work 18hrs
- Worked pretty much non stop - only times allowed to take a break and eat was breakfast and lunch
- Work didn’t stop after slaves had left the fields - when got back to houses there was often still lots of chores
- disciplined harshly in fields - whipped if not working hard enough
24
Q
Describe the effect of the slave trade on West Indies Plantations
A
- Provided much needed labour to counteract labour shortage
- Arrival of different ethnic group - affected culture and population increased
- Plantation Owners became wealthy from selling their product + new economy created
- Native Population was wiped out as Europeans arrived
- Mansion houses were built which changed the landscape of the Caribbean - Rose Hall in Montego Bay
PIDDLES
Popultion wipeout - Europeans brought disease
Injustice and growing sense of redemption in culture
Dependency eg Barbados 93% of exports was sugar = fragile economy
Demographic shift - native population overtaken by slave (C18 80% of pop was black)
Legality - slave codes made slavery legal
Social divided between rich whites and poor blacks which still haunts the Caribbean
Segregation
25
Q
Explain why Britain became involved in the production of sugar/ slavery
A
- Sugar was becoming more desirable so there was a mass market; it was no longer a luxury item
- Many British businessmen already had plantations in the Caribbean
- Early attempts of using Brit workers in the Caribbean was unsuccessful- more workers needed
- Shipyards, rope makers, metal works, banks, insurance companies gained profits / land to compete with Spain + France
- Racist attitudes
- Britain needed sugar for jobs and wealth
26
Q
Describe the effect of the slave trade on Scottish ports
A
- Development of shipyards on the Clyde - changed Glasgow’s industry from fishing to shipbuilding
- Creation of jobs - banking, insurance, shipbuilding, ropemaking
- Landscape of Scottish trading cities changed - Glasgow: Jamaica Street, St.Vincents St and Glassford street established - Edinburgh: Sugarhouse Close
- New buildings built in cities with money from slave trade - Mr Cunningham, a slave owner, built his mansion in Glasgow (MOMA) - 1750 the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh was bequeathed by Dr Archibald Kerr of Jamiaca - James Gillespie had a School for boys named after him in Edinburgh
27
Q
Explain why many people in Britain continued to support the slave trade
A
- Jobs - many ppl jobless if no slave trade
- Products - high demand for sugar
- Supported by powerful ppl - MPs were bribed
- Money
- Made ppl rich - power
- Changed landscape - new buildings, hospitals, schools - poor ppl benefitted
- Changed poor cities into powerful trading centres
- Development of business/ banks
- Racist views
28
Q
When was the slave trade abolished
A
1807
29
Q
Explain why the abolitionists wanted to end the slave trade
A
————————————————
RELIGIOUS
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•Quakers - feared the anger of God over sin of slavery - saw slavery as unjust and evil
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SOCIAL
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• Revelation of the horrors of the trade - many wee unaware of the cruelties but when they found out that the trade brutalised Africans they campaigned to have it abolished
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REVOLUTIONARY
——————————————————————
- Ideas of Revolution were spreading
- French Revolution 1789
- started think change by the ppl was possible
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ECONOMIC
——————————————————————
• Sugar could be produced cheaper by free workers in India
• Meant not only would they still make a profit whilst being morally right, but they also wouldn’t have to feed and house their workers
- sugar sales falling anyway - 1792 400,000 Brits were boycotting slave produced sugar - grocers said sugar sales dropping by over 1/3 - meant less need for slave plantations as demand decreasing
- British industries didn’t need ST to survive - huge banking businesses already established and making plenty of money - Brits no longer need ST as jobs and wealth no longer relied on it
30
Q
Name some Abolitionists
A
- Wilberforce
- Equiano
- John Newton
- Clarkson
- Sharpe
- Wedgewood
31
Q
Describe methods used by abolitionists
A
- Wedgewood - our abolitionist stamp on his China
- Dickson - Preacher
- Sugar boycott - 1792 400,000
- James Beattie - Anti slavery lectures
- Newspaper Articles
- Posters
- Letters to newspapers calling for abolition - revealing horrors
- Petitions - 40 presbyteries petitioned between 1788-92
- John Newton - held meetings - Amazing Grace
- Equiano - evidence - books
32
Q
Explain why support increased for the abolition of the slavery trade by the 1780s
A
- Christian groups like Quakers told ppl slavery was morally wrong and it broke the Ten Commandments
- Role of Wilberforce - MP who campaigned relentlessly- presented bill to parliament every year for 15 yrs
- Awareness of the conditions of slave ships due to testimonies from former slaves - Equiano
- Propaganda - Posters, Articles, horrified ppl, Wedgewood
- Official reports - written in Caribbean suggested conditions not improved for over 100 yrs - info made known to MPs and public - ppl saddened
- Economic - Britain didn’t need sugar from slave trade as could be grown cheaper using paid workers in India
33
Q
How did Abolitionists publicise their cause
A
- Meetings - Sharpe, Equiano, Newton, Clarkson
- Books - Newton, Olaudah Equiano
- Newspaper Articles
- Wedgewood China - abolitionist stamp, sold to raise money
- Pamphlets
- Posters
- Petitions - MPs, officials, King and Queen
34
Q
Explain why it took so long to abolish the slave trade
A
- War with France - took top priority - expensive as soldiers had to be transported- claimed ST was training ground for Navy - ST trained sailors and gave them basic skills
- Supported by powerful people - King George III - MPs - made it hard to put ideas forward in parliament
- Economic issues - ending ST result huge loss money - thousands ppl lose jobs - ppl not want to end bc poor financial consequences
- Petitions dent to parliament- ignored bc vast no.of MPs who were for ST - mayors + merchants sent petitions complaining they’d lose all trade tied to ST
- Fear of revolt - ppl thot slaves would revolt if ST ended, thinking they were free - fear fuelled by Haitian revolution as it showed that slaves could defeat slavery
- Exaggeration - ppl genuinely beloved Abolitionists wee exaggerating, making stuff up - they did only talk about the worst parts, in order to gain sympathy. However not all slave owners treated their slaves the same
35
Q
Explain why the slave trade abolished
A
- Public support - Petitions (1783 1st Petition) - salt of Equianos book - meetings - sugar boycott
- Pressure on MPs - religious + moral groups (Quakers) - petitions - inside parliament/ lobbying
- Wilberforce very persistent - 18 yrs - William Pitt the Younger
- Attention focuses on ST and not slavery - Dundas - baby steps
- Religious support
- Economic boycotts
- Britain’s trade was changing - new markets, eg sugar from Brazil/ India
- Abolitionists- Newton, Equiano, Sharpe
