Transatlantic Slave Trade (1500~1800) Flashcards
How was the slave trade first thought of?
In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic on behalf of the Spanish crown and arrived in the Caribbean. This discovery made Europeans aware of the Americas for the first time, and how it could provide economic benefits.
Prince Henry, Navigator of Portugal, thought of the idea. Portugal led the way, forcing their customs onto Peru and Mexico, and forced the indigenous people to mine and produce crops.
From 1500 onwards, Portuguese and Spanish traders started enslaving African people and taking them to the colonies in America.
How did Britain start getting involved in the slave trade?
Sir John Hawkins was the first known British man to make the slave trade voyage in 1562. While others had taken slaves, he was the one that set up the triangle system.
Please summarise the ‘Triangular Trade’
- British enslavers sailed to West Africa to trade people for British goods like guns, cloth, iron and beer
- Middle passage- Enslaved people taken across the Atlantic to be sold in North America and the West Indies
- Brought back tobacco, rice and other goods to England to be sold.
What is Chattel slavery?
When enslaved people legally become property of their owners and so do any children born to that person.
Who benefitted from the Slave Trade?
- British enslavers- profited from selling slaves
- Plantation owners- profited on goods produced by slaves. When retired many moved to England with their wealth to obtain political power or invest in factories
- Factory owners- used money from slave trade to build factories. Also, cheap cotton meant textile industry grew. Gave jobs to ordinary people.
- West African leaders- actually participated by capturing their people and selling to Europeans. They received firearms which allowed them to expand their terrority.
Regarding the experiences of enslaved people, tell me about seasoning.
In order to avoid resistance, they stripped enslaved people of their identities and culture. This seasoning lasted between one and three years.
Forced to obey to extreme working conditions (mental and physical torture). Up to 18 hour days.
Tell me about the Amelioration Act 1798.
Applied to the British Caribbean colonies. This meant that enslaved people could only be forced to work for fourteen hours a day. The Amelioration Act aimed to protect enslaved people from cruel punishments by introducing fines for owners who mistreated them.
In reality, the act did little to protect the rights of enslaved populations. Many historians believe that the purpose of the act was to benefit plantation owners, and appease those enslaved following a series of large-scale uprisings from enslaved people in Barbados, Jamaica and Demerara between 1816 and 1832.
What were Maroon communities.
People who had escaped slavery and formed communities, often on the mountains.
They called themselves “Nyankipong Pickibu,” which is Ghanaian for “Children of the Almighty.”
Give some background to how the open rebellions among enslaved people began.
There was an Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1807 which made it illegal to buy and sell people. But it didnt sort out the people already enslaved.
They were understandley really angry and so often rose up in large scale understandably attempts to overthrow slavery.
Regarding the open rebellions, tell me about the Haiti Revoltution 1791-1804
For some context, Saint-Domingue was a very influential island under French control (at one point it produced 40% of Europe’s sugar).
Spanish had supported slave revolts in Saint-Domingue hoping to weaken the French. Britain, who was also at War with France, invaded Saint-Domingue in 1793. At that point the French were like fuck we cant fight the british, spainish and the slaves so lets just free the slaves.
Regarding the open rebellions, tell me about the Bussa Rebellion 1816
Inspired by the Haiti Revolution, Bussa and Nanny Grigg led an uprising in Barbados but it was violently defeated.
How did politicians contribute to abolition of the slave trade?
Thomas Clarkson and Granville Sharp- in 1787 they established Society for Abolition of the Slave Trade.
William Wilberforce was a member of parliament who fought for anti-slavery motions in parliament.
How did quakers contribute to abolition of the slave trade?
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Nine of the twelve members of the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade were Quakers.
The Quaker Church strongly opposed the slave trade in Britain and America. In 1783, the London Society of Friends sent a petition against the slave trade to the British Parliament.
Looking at the timeline of the abolition of the slave trade, tell me about the Zong Case 1781.
Due to a navigational error, the ship had to spend an additional three days at sea. With supplies and water running out, the crew murdered 131 enslaved people by throwing them overboard. If they had died onboard the ship, the crew would not have been able to make an insurance claim for compensation. The case was used by abolitionists such as Olaudah Equiano and Thomas Clarkson in order to highlight the extreme brutality of the traders in enslaved people.
Looking at the timeline of the abolition of the slave trade, tell me about the petitions in parliament in 1792.
As a reminder, in 1787 the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was created, and they got my guy William Wilberforce to represent them in parliament.
In 1792, over 519 petitions with thousands of signatures were handed to Parliament. Alongside these petitions, William Wilberforce presented a bill for the abolition of the slave trade every year, from 1789 to 1807.
