Africa and the Atlantic Slave Trade

1400-1800

Slavery in Africa pre 1440 • Ownership status meant other Africans…

• Social status

• Kings create loyal following

Characteristics• Long history of slave system in Africa

• With Islam came another form of slavery

Not land

• Slaves inherited

• Served variety of functions

• Spoils of war

What do Europeans find? • Slavery in all parts of Africa

• Large numbers of slaves

• Well developed slave trade markets/routes

• Owners were usually merchants•African legal system conducive to owning slaves

•**Political fragmentation

Major Stages in Atlantic Slave Trade

• Stage 1: 1441-1500 – Role of Portuguese

• First to engage in exploration/slave trade•Sailed around tip of Africa (Dias/Da Gama)

•Domestic servitude in Europe

•Africans held advantage in trade•1000/YEAR

(Origin)

Stage 2: 1500 – 1650

1. Labor intensive agriculture and Mining in New World

Major Stages in Atlantic Slave Trade

2. Native Americans were ineffective•Not enough (disease)•Lack of Agricultural skills•Africans were more secure labor source

•Role of Catholic Priests

(Expansion)

(sugar/precious metals)

Results: • By 1650 47% of slaves went to Brazil

and Americas…• Slaves originally arrive as indentured

servants

• 2000/year between 1500-1650

Rest went to Europe

• Dutch, French, English involved

Stage 3: 1650 – 1800Reasons for increase: • Continued Growth of plantation economy

• Price of slaves increases• African role

– Maintain Demand for Guns–Involved in selling: strategy against capture

(peak)

–Civil Wars persist

–European coercive tactics

• By 1750 – 10% went to N.America. …• Every European nation involved• No laws prohibiting trade• 1400 –1800: Assess the Impact

rest went to Americas

– 12 million slaves

– Mostly from W. Africa—Impact: *Population *Labor Force *Economy

*African Family Structure-

• New Culture in New World: Music, foods, added to Christianity• Social Structure in New World: Mulattoes (Latin America) or Gullahs in American South

disappears

• Stage 4: 1800’s• Age of Enlightenment & Revolutions

• Abolition Movements

• Role of Great Britain

(decline-Reasons)

• Dawn of the Industrial Age

Raises the question of equality of man-Can that concept coexist with slavery?

England and the United States

Best Navy in the world—ends slave trade

Slaves are too expensive in machine age