Transatlantic Slave Trade

Question 1

Which non European states were involved in slavery in west Africa before the Europeans arrived

Answer 1

Arabs

Question 2

What jobs did slaves do within Africa

Answer 2

Farming, mining and fishing

Question 3

When and why did the Portuguese first arrive

Answer 3

In 1444, the Portuguese colonised Cabo Verde because of its strategic location between the africas and americas

Question 4

What is the house of slaves and what is famous within it

Answer 4

The house of slaves is on the coast of Senegal and it is where enslaved Africans were held in horrible conditions. It contains the Door of No Return: a door that lead out to the ocean and the final point before enslaved people were about to be loaded onto ships from the Americas

Question 5

When did European states start trading African people as slaves

Answer 5

From 1500s to 1800s (excluding Portugal in 1444). England began in 1562, Netherlands in 1626, France in 1640s and Denmark/ Sweden in 1650s

Question 6

What role did Ivory play on the slave trade

Answer 6

It was traded in Côte d’Ivoire to Americas by Slaves

Question 7

Why did some Africans trade other Africans

Answer 7

Africans would attack other African countries to bring them to the West Coast where Europeans would pay the capturers with commodities such as guns to increase the capture of Africans by force by other Africans

Question 8

What is the triangle slave trade

Answer 8

Stage 1: Liverpool, Glasgow, London and Bristol were big imports for commodities and manufactured goods. Slave forts included Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Gold Coast in Ghana and Nigeria
Stage 2: This is called the Middle Passage and would last 1-3 months depending on route and weather. The treatment on this journey was terrible: disease, dehydration, punishments, chains, beatings and torture. The slaves were shipped to Americas/ Caribbean to work
Stage 3: Enslaved human beings are sold and auctioned off. They produce commodities (sugar, cotton, coffee and tobacco) to be sold back to Europe and they work the rest of their lives

Question 9

What are commodities

Answer 9

Raw materials/ goods that can be traded or sold

Question 10

What were commodities/ manufactured goods sent to Africa from Britain

Answer 10

Guns, alcohol, beads, pottery and textiles (not raw cotton)

Question 11

What is the difference between slaves and enslaved people

Answer 11

Using the word slaves dehumanises the people and suggests they were always enslaved but that was not the case as they were captured.

Question 12

Why did Europeans dehumanise the enslave people

Answer 12

They believe they were good Christians and they were stripping someone’s humanity to morally justify what they are doing is okay

Question 13

Explain the role of sugar and cotton in the slave trade

Answer 13

In the early slave trade, Portugal and Spain started sugar plantations in Brazil and Caribbean. By the 1600s-1700s, sugar was the most important product in the slave trade. Cotton became more popular in the 1700s-1800s especially for the textile factories in Britain ( Industrial Revolution). Cotton was made in the Americas/ Caribbean then sold to Europe, mainly Britain. Britain used it in factories and sold their products within Britain and Europe, partly to Africa as part of the commodities

Question 14

How much slaves were involved in the transatlantic slave trade over 3 centuries

Answer 14

12-13 million

Question 15

Which country was said to have the worst labour for slaves and why

Answer 15

Jamaica because the sugar plantations were deadly with long hours in the heat and cuts from the plants and burning the cane juice with burns and accidents. The life expectancy was very low to do overwork, disease and abuse.

Question 16

Which country received the most slaves and why

Answer 16

Brazil with 5 million because it had a huge plantation colony and at the time it was controlled by Portugal.

Question 17

What was the punishments for slaves who tried to escape

Answer 17

Whippings, mutilation and public torture

Question 18

Around how many people died on the way to the Americas/ Caribbean

Answer 18

2 million over the whole slave trade

Question 19

Describe the conditions during the middle passage

Answer 19

Canons were faced inwards to stop rebellions. People would rather commit suicide so on the ships they had to install nets. Slaves were separated as men were chained together and women and children were cramped together and the ship crew divided people by language to avoid communication about rebellions. They were also forced to exercise to maintain fit. There were no toilets so diseases spread easily, especially as they were cramped together. Slaves slept lying down chained together to stop rebellions on floor with sweat, blood, vomit and human waste.

Question 20

What happened to slaves before they were sold

Answer 20

They were washed with water and given oil to make their skin look healthier and define their muscles. Hot tar/ rust was rubber into any sores/ulcers to cover them.

Question 21

What exercise was done for men on the ship during the middle passage

Answer 21

Men were forced to jump on stamp with their feet chained and often whipped if they refused or couldn’t move.

Question 22

What exercise was one to women on the ship during the middle passage

Answer 22

Women were also forced to move but with less violence, however most were sexually abused.

Question 23

Who was thrown overboard during the middle passage and why thrown overboard instead of killing slaves

Answer 23

1. Sick people- if someone was very ill the crew would throw them overboard to stop the disease spreading and avoid losing money to feed people who are too sick to be sold
2. Rebellious people- if they fought back they were either tortured, killed or thrown overboard to set an example
   Slaves who “drowned” did not need paying for but slaves who died because of the conditions had to be paid in insurance to make up for the money lost

Question 24

What happened if a mother gave birth during the middle passage

Answer 24

Most babies and mothers didn’t survive due to sanitation but they were too weak they were thrown overboard. If the baby survived, they were still sold and separated from the mother by different buyers

Question 25

Name a slave ship

Answer 25

Zong

Question 26

What is the Zong Massacre

Answer 26

In December 1780, Bristol ships get a letter of mark and catch 3 Dutch slave ships, including the Zorg. In March 1781, they arrange to sell the Zorg at Cape Castle and the purchasers were a famous family in Liverpool: Gregsons. They renamed the ship the Zong and had a new captain. It was built to carry 200 but 400 were abroad. There were 132 slaves thrown aboard, this is because the crew wouldn’t be insured if they drowned. They travelled the wrong way and water levels were low so they threw slaves overboard

Question 27

What is a letter of mark

Answer 27

It is sent to private ships as an authorisation to capture enemy ships and receive money from the British state

Question 28

What was a method to let generations know how slaves were treated

Answer 28

Oral history

Question 29

Who is Olaudah Equiano

Answer 29

He was a former slave that grew up in Modern Nigeria and worked in South Carolina/ Virginia. In 1766, he bought his freedom and in 1789, published a book which became a bestseller in Britain. It was one of the first firsthand slave narratives. He also gave speeches.

Question 30

Who is Granville Sharp

Answer 30

He was one of the first British abolitionists and famous for the James Somerset case (slavery wasn’t legal in England but not other colonies)He is also the co-founder of the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. He also helped create a free settlement for former slaves in Sierra Leone. He was born in 1735 and died in 1813.

Question 31

What were Granville Sharp and Olaudah Equiano both members of

Answer 31

Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, formed in 1787

Question 32

What was the name of the book Olaudah Equiano published

Answer 32

The Interesting Narratuve of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African

Question 33

Why does the name of Olaudah Equiano’s book have Gustavus Vassa

Answer 33

It was his name while he was enslaved when a British naval officer gave him that name. He resisted that name but even after he was freed in Britain, many people still called Equiano Gustavus Vassa

Question 34

When was slavery banned in England

Answer 34

1772

Question 35

What is an abolitionist

Answer 35

A person who fights to end slavery

Question 36

What was the difference between a slave auction and slave scramble

Answer 36

In an auction, slaves were paraded infront of buyers for examination on an auction box and the perosn who bid the most would be sold the slave. In a scramble, a slave is sold for a fixed price

Question 37

What happened to unhealthy, unsold slaves at auctions/ scrambles

Answer 37

They were either sold for very low prices (refuse slaves) , sold in bulk, worked in harsher areas to “get use out of them” before they died or abandoned/ killed

Question 38

What does it mean if a slave is “to be let”

Answer 38

Only sold for some time, not forever.

Question 39

How would a hirer of a let slave treat them

Answer 39

They would still give the slave labour but treated them with minimal food, water, clothes and fit their medical need as they still had to return the slave in good condition.

Question 40

Did slavery exist in Asia and Australia

Answer 40

Asia- slavery existed in India, China and south east Asia through war, debt and caste. Australia- Natives/ Pacific Islanders were exploited: they were “blackbirded” (kidnapped/ tricked) and forced to work in sugar plantations

Question 41

How did the slave trade/ colonisation affect Africa

Answer 41

European countries stole resources such as gold, diamonds and rubber and forced them to mine these for little pay. They caused conflict between countries (forcing them to capture each other) and stole millions of people, often the strongest and youngest leaving the weak left. Due to this, African countries were easier to colonise.

Question 42

What was the Brookes

Answer 42

A British slave ship from the 18th century based in Liverpool. It became famous after design plans that were published in 1788 by a group of abolitionists. The Brookes was supposed to hold 454 slaves but it held around 609. It was revealed to show the inhumanity of the trade with the compaction, piled above each other on wooden planks to sleep and not even a toilet

Question 43

What was life like for a slave on a plantation

Answer 43

If they were slacking, they were whipped. They were not allowed to stop working until noon, with a 10-15 minute break. On Sundays, they had no work. If you did not complete your task (work:, you see punished and if you managed to overdo your work, you would do less the next day.

Question 44

What were punishments for not working hard enough or trying to escape

Answer 44

Punishments for both were being whipped with a cat o nine tails (bleeding and scars),branded with owner’s initials with a hot iron, shackled, mutilation and being sold away from family. For escaping the punishment could be execution. When interrogated, their feet would be burned to prevent them escaping and cause intense pain

Question 45

What was the life expectancy for slaves in a plantation

Answer 45

3 years

Question 46

What did older people do on plantations

Answer 46

They did less physical jobs like gardening, horse and carriage driving, cleaning and nursing

Question 47

What were runaways slaves searched by

Answer 47

Runaway hunters

Question 48

What were rebellions in plantations

Answer 48

Antigua and Barbuda 1736, Jamaica 1760, Saint Domingue 1791 and Barbados 1816

Question 49

What were less violent rebellions

Answer 49

Speaking in their native language, pretending to be ill, damaging tools/ machinery and practising religion in private (forced to be Christian)

Question 50

Explain the Antigua and Barbuda rebellion in 1736

Answer 50

Slaves stole gunpowder to blow up plantations while the owners were at a party. 88 died.

Question 51

Explain the Jamaica rebellion in 1760

Answer 51

Slaves had guns and took over plantations until Britain regained control. 400 were executed. A group called maroons escaped into the mountains and fought British for the next 150 years

Question 52

Explain the Haiti revolution

Answer 52

The rebellion was from 1791-1804. It was caused by the bad conditions, diseases and amputations. The French Revolution inspired the slaves of Saint Domingue (the name given to the island before independence). The night of August 22 1791, 1000 Africans poisoned and stabbed their masters. The rebellion was led by Toussaint L’Ouverture, who was a born into slavery then freed by his enslaver and became a slave owner. In 1794, France abolished slavery and L’Ourverture owned the colony but he made freed people work again and it felt like slavery. In 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte (France’s new ruler) sent troops to re establish slavery and capture Toussaint, who was captured and died in prison). After his capture, the rebellion was led by Jean Jacques Dessalines (top general) and he drove the French armies out to a point which they were exhausted and losing soldiers to diseases. On 1 January 1804, Dessalines declared independence from France as although they abolished slavery, they also tried bringing it back, and renamed it Haiti.

Question 53

Explain the Barbados revolution

Answer 53

Slaves burnt 1/4 of the sugar plantations bedore they were stopped.

Question 54

What does Zorg mean

Answer 54

Care, but it’s ironic and slaves were experiencing horrible treatment

Question 55

What was so iconic about the Haiti rebellion

Answer 55

Haiti is the first and only successful slave rebellion

Question 56

Why did most rebellions fail

Answer 56

The owners were well-fed, string and healthy but the slaves were often tired as they were ill/ malnourished. Some were too scared to join a rebellion as they feared the punishments for themselves, family and friends. The slaves were chained together. Owners could get support from nearest soldiers which could easily crush rebellions with their more advanced weapons

Question 57

What happened to Haiti after independence

Answer 57

In 1825, France forced Haiti to pay 150 million francs (later reduced to 90 million francs/ £84,500) to compensate for their “loss of property” (the slaves). Haiti had to borrow this money from French banks with interest and it took until 1947 to pay it all back, with no money to develop their country. As Haiti was the first successful rebellion, slave-owning countries like USA and Spain feared Haiti would inspire a rebellion in their countries so they refused to trade with Haiti or recognise it, leaving Haiti with no allies. After Dessalines died, the country was split into north and south with civil wars that made it difficult to establish a strong government. People didn’t want to return to working in plantations so Haiti switched to small family farms but they meant less money from exports. This is because they can’t grow huge amounts and farming machines aren’t developed. Overall, with little trade and massive debt, Haiti stayed poor

Question 58

What was the main faith in Saint Domingue

Answer 58

Voodoo

Question 59

How did Toussaint Lo’Overture try compromise with the slave owners before after 22 August

Answer 59

The surviving owners fought the slaves and Toussaint tried to argue the slaves would return to work if they were offered better conditions but the masters refused

Question 60

Which countries aided Saint Domingue and how

Answer 60

France was at war with Britain and Spain. These two countries wanted to weaken France so they aided Saint Domingue with weapons to revolt again France as it was the biggest and richest sugar producer.

Question 61

What percentage of commodities did Saint Domingue provide globally

Answer 61

40% of the world’s sugar and 60% of the word’s coffee

Question 62

Why didn’t Haiti just allow France to invade them after slavery was abolished to avoid paying debt

Answer 62

France had gunships to threaten Haiti and also had powerful European allies. Haiti has none. They also didn’t want to give up their independence and have their people hurt even more, as France would harm them

Question 63

What did Haitians do when Napoleon sent troops to regain Saint Domingue

Answer 63

The adapted a scorched earth policy, meaning to destroy anything that may help the enemy

Question 64

What advantages did Toussaint L’Ouverture’s army have

Answer 64

They were experienced, more resistant to disease and could use their terrain more effectively.

Question 65

How did Toussaint get sent to jail

Answer 65

One of his generals defected Haiti for the French and Toussaint negotiated in 1801 to stand down his troops in exchange for slavery to not be restored in. However, in 1802, Leclerc (Napoleon’s brother in law) invited Toussaint to a meeting to “talk about peace”. Unfortunately, L’Ouverture was arrested with no trial and sent to prison in France in the Jura Mountains, then died likely from pneumonia and starvation

Question 66

What effect did the rebellions have on other countries’ treatment to slaves

Answer 66

They made punishments and conditions more severe out of fear their slaves will rebel too

Question 67

When did British abolish the slave trade

Answer 67

1807. But this was only to buy and sell them, not own slaves

Question 68

When did Britain abolish slavery

Answer 68

1833. This was to abolish slavery all together

Question 69

What did Britain have to do abolish slavery

Answer 69

The government paid the slave owners in compensation for taking the slaves

Question 70

What were defences to keep slavery

Answer 70

Plantations made Britain rich and slaves were essential to certain industries. Many past industries have depended on slave labour and employers claim that abolishing slavery would be economically disastrous. Majority was able to afford sugar because it was very cheap. In religion, some people argued that slaves are the natural world of the universe (God‘s plan) because the church accepted it. People also believed that slaves were inferior and happier under slavery as they lack ability to run their own lives.

Question 71

What were defences to abolish slavery

Answer 71

Slaves were inefficient and costly form of labour as sugar plantations could be cheaper in India. The prices of sugar and cotton were also dropping. The British industry didn’t depend on slavery anymore because the industrial revolution factories needed workers. The Bible also says treat people with kindness and love. Enslaved people were also denied freedom and human rights.

Question 72

What impact did the slave trade have on the Industrial Revolution

Answer 72

They used the capital and cotton from the slave trade

Question 73

What were abolitionist methods?

Answer 73

Blueprints, records, churches, diaries, petitions, protests and propaganda of pictures, shackles and wounds

Question 74

Why were petitions unreliable for a form of peaceful revolt

Answer 74

People used dead people’s signatures and kids’ signatures were argued illegitimate

Question 75

What did William Wilburforce do

Answer 75

He was a politician that made speeches to parliament calling for a law to end slavery between 1789 and 1806

Question 77

How did Bristol benefit from the slave trade

Answer 77

1. Georgian buildings were paid for 2. 80-90% of sugar was made in Caribbean 3. Even poor people had sugar because it was cheap and popular 4. Edward Colston donated his money from slave ownership to charities, schools and hospitals 5. Britain was already rich because of trading but slavery allowed Britain to be wealthier 6. Transatlantic slave trade increased black population