Triangular Trade Flashcards
How were African people enslaved by being captured?
They were captured by European slavers who would raid the African coast and kidnap people. This became increasingly difficult because people simply moved away.
Europeans found it easier to deal with local chiefs and middlemen. These people captured the slaves and took them to a trading point.
Chiefs and middlemen captured slaves in many ways such as: 20% were captured as prisoners of war, 40% were kidnapped, 20% were tricked by someone they knew and 16% were sold into slavery as a punishment for crime.
How were African people enslaved by Slave Caravan?
When captured men were tied together by there necks there hands were also tied behind there backs and sometimes at the ankle. This was known as the ‘caravan’.
They were forced at gun point to walk to were the slave ships were waiting (which could have been hundreds or miles).
How were African people enslaved when at the Arrival at the Coast?
When the slaves arrived at the coast they were taken to the slave castles.
The African middleman presented the captured people to British Traders (who worked for trading company’s).
The captured people would be prepared for sale. When being prepared they polished with palm oil to make there skin looks healthy.
What is the Middle Passage?
When slaves were transported from Africa to the West Indies. From 1700 to 1810 British ships transported around 3.4 million slaves. A “quick” Atlantic crossing took between 3-4 weeks, some were known to last 4 months.
What were the conditions like aboard slave ships during the Middle Passage?
Male slaves tended to be on the below deck. Women and there kids were allowed on the deck as the air was better but there was no protection from wind, rain and sun.
The ship was all pitch black. There was little ventilation. There was bad stench in the lower deck because of the lack of air this resulted in slaves have seasickness and heat stroke.
Diseases were common like diarrhoea and yellow fever.
Buckets were used as toilets but some had difficulties using them as they were chained. They were forced to lie in there waste.
Slaves were fed slush twice a day. They were forced to eat if they refused. They got 2 cups of water a day.
They were made to “dance” for exercise, which was humiliating for them.
Crew also suffered from poor food, diseases and the terrible conditions.
