U2 Atlantic Slave Trade Flashcards
How was the Slave trade organised (6)
Three stages, outward passage, middle passage , Return passage
Outward Passage involved the taking of goods such as rum and weapons to Africa to buy slaves from tribes - 3 weeks
Middle passage was the worst passage as it involved the movement of africans from Africa to America and roughly 20% of slaves died - 6 weeks
Return Passage was the return from america and involved bringing back goods produced on plantations aswell as money from selling slaves - 7 Weeks
How did the slave trade benefit Britain?
Banks gained lots of money during the slave trade as they provided loans and insurance - Lloyds and Bank of England
British public infrastructure was improved as new buildings were built by rich merchants such as schools and library’s
Huge rise in employment opportunities as demand for Shipbuilders, Sailmakers, Chefs increased
Growth of several industry such as textiles to producing clothes from raw cotton and shipbuilding
Allowed for previously expensive items to become accessible to all such as sugar and cotton clothing
Money was later used to fund the industrial revolution
How did the slave trade impact Africa? (6)
Created an increase in hatred and violence between tribes between tribes as they took prisoners of war to sell
Introduced guns to africa resulting in larger wars and more casualties
Loss of young men and women in society meant Africa behind the rest of the world more than previously.
Impacted food supply as people did not want to leave the tribe to go and farm.
Kingdom of Dahomey would send raiding parties to less developed tribes
Was the main cause of ongoing civil wars as certain countries began to claim sections of africa splitting up tribes such as the Ashanti tribe.
Conditions in slave factories (6)
Slaves would be held below the ground in dungeons as it allowed for more slaves to stored - Cape Coast Castle could hold up to 1000 slaves
Bought slaves branded to prevent chiefs from swapping them with unfit slaves
Tropical Diseases such as malaria and yellow fever spread easily in the dungeons, roughly 45% died
Many would have their heads shaved so that it would be harder for people purchasing them to tell their age.
Women may have been sexually assaulted
Slaves were beaten or whipped if they tried to talk back or misbehave
Diet generally consisted of bananas, yams and beans
Conditions of the Middle Passage (6)
Ships could be packed as either tight pack or loose pack - Tight pack held 250, Loose held 200
Slaves were made to dance for entertainment of the crew aswell as excercise
Slaves could spend weeks below deck without getting out if there was a storm
Slaves were chained together to prevent them from committing suicide or revolting
Many died from disease previously caught in the slave factories - crew died too
No access to toilets so many were left in feces and urine below deck - would rarely be cleaned by crew
Around 1.5 million slaves died on the middle passage
How did the slave trade affect the Caribbean islands. (6)
Left many countries with an unstable economy relying on 1 resource such as barbados who’s exports were 93% sugar.
Destroyed native culture and killed tribes as they were previously used as slaves before the introduction of Africans
Natural beauty of the island destroyed as it was removed to build plantations.
Effected the economy post-slave trade as people were unable to do anything other than farm the crops grown on plantations - resulting in a people not being able to diversify the economy.
New diseases introduced to the carribean wiping out tribes such as the Arawak tribe as smallpox was introduced.
Slave rebellion resulted in fear among plantations and stricter punishments and laws being introduced to punish slaves
Living and Working conditions on the Plantations (6)
Slaves were made to grow their own food on plantations often on little bits of soils outside their houses
Slaves were made to build their own houses , often shared and made of wood planks
Slaves often worked 18 hour days in the fields and would be whipped if they stopped working - only lasted 7 years roughly
Slaves would work in the Sugar where sugar cane was crushed - very little light resulting in some getting their arms stuck in rollers
House slaves lived better than typical slaves but were still not treated well - the women may have educated them or promised them freedom
Boiling house - people would struggle to work even 4 hours in the boiling house as they would often swell up due to the hot and damp atmposhere
How were slaves disciplined on plantations? (6)
Slaves could be whipped up to 100 times
Could have an Iron Muzzle placed over their face if they talked back
Slaves could be sent to other plantations away from family
Slaves may be executed if they attempted to escape but this was unlikely as it was deemed a loss of property
Runaway slaves could have their toes cut off to prevent them from trying it again
Placed in stocks for varying amounts of time to set an example
Resistance on the plantations (6)
Slaves may break machinery as to stop them from being able to work
Slaves may commit suicide as they believed death was a better option than life on the plantation
Slaves would damage crops on the plantation so that their master would not gain as much
Slaves may murder overseers in the plantation fields
Slaves may attempt to start a revolution and overtake the entire plantation
Slaves may commit arson and attempt to burn down houses, mills or the fields
Why were slaves scared to revolt (6)
Slaves owners were often well armed with guns
Slaves had little free-time to plan any sort of revolt
Slaves were scared of punishment as leaders of revolt were often killed or multilated
Militia groups meant that after escaping the plantation it was hard to stay free due to them being hunted for rewards
Rewards for escapees was another reason as some people would spend long periods of time hunting for slaves to be rewarded
Public trials put fear into slaves as it would show what could happen to a slave if they attempted to revolt
