chapter 2 middle passage. i. european exploration ~ colonization western european countries expand...
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 2
Middle Passage
I. European Exploration ~ Colonization
Western European countries expand during 15th century– Explore, conquer, and colonize– Trade
• Eastern markets of India, China, and Japan• New World
– Demand for laborers led to Atlantic slave trade
II. The Slave Trade in Africa
Ancient and universal phenomena African kingdoms and Islamic nations conduct
brisk commerce– Not race based
• Arab merchants and West African kings imported white slaves from Europe
– West African slave trade dealt mainly in women and children who would serve as concubines and servants
• European demand for agricultural laborers changed slave trading patterns
III. The Origins of the Atlantic Slave Trade
In 15th century, slaves used as domestic servants on Iberian Peninsula
Other European countries had large work forces and little need for slaves
Purchased from African traders– Portugal and Spain dominated slave trade in 16th
century– Dutch dominated 17th century– English dominated 18th century
IV. Growth of the Atlantic Slave Trade
Demand for labor in 16th century Spanish gold and silver mines Portuguese sugar plantations Tobacco, rice and indigo SEE Figure 2-1 and Table 2-1
Growth of the Atlantic Slave Trade (cont.) Harsher in the Americas
– Based on race– Most were males
• Believed they were stronger laborers than females
• West African women did farm work – Often withheld from trade
– Agricultural workers– Chattel
• Lost rights as human beings
Growth of the Atlantic Slave Trade (cont.) Triangle trade and profits
– See Map 2-3 – Slave, tobacco, and sugar profits funded
Industrial Revolution
V. The African-American Ordeal: Capture to Destination
Slavery: byproduct of war between kingdoms
European traders provided firearms– Did not instigate fighting
The African-American Ordeal: Capture to Destination (cont.)
High mortality– Exhaustion, suicide, murder– Long, forced marches from interior to coast
Factories served as – Headquarters for traders– Warehouses for trade goods– Pens or dungeons for captives
The Crossing
Canary Islands to the Windward Islands 40 to 180 days to reach the Caribbean Pirates attacked Spanish ships Frightening experience
The Slavers
Small and narrow ships Two slaves per ship-tonnage formula Most captains were “tight packers”
– Ignored formula in the name of profits
The Slavers (cont.)
Crowded, unsanitary conditions– Slaves rode on planks 66” x 15”
• only 20”– 25” of headroom
– Males chained together in pairs – Kept apart from women and children– High mortality rates
• One-third perish between capture and embarkation
A Slave’s Story
Olaudah Equiano– Writes autobiography of his capture/voyage
Conditions Suicides Smells Feedings
– See VOICES
A Captain’s Story
John Newton
– Evangelical Christian
– Slaver captain
– Anglican priest• Repentance• Amazing Grace
Provisions for the Middle Passage Slaves fed twice per day
– Poor and insufficient diet• Vegetable pulps, stews, and fruits • Denied meat or fish• Ten people eating from one bucket• Unwashed hands spread disease• Malnutrition, weakness, depression, death
Sanitation, Disease, and Death Astronomically high before 1750
– Poor sanitation• No germ theory prior to early 20th century• Malaria, yellow fever, smallpox, dysentery
After 1750– Faster ships– Hygiene and diet better understood– Early forms of smallpox vaccinations
Resistance and Revolt at Sea
Uprisings were common– Most rebellions before sailing– Some preferred death to bondage– Justification for harsh treatment by slavers
Cruelty
Middle passage horrors exaggerated– Historian Eric Williams
Cultural context Exceptionally cruel
– Slaves had half the space allowed indentured servants and convicts
– Slavery suitable only for non-Christians– Brutal treatment by crew members
African Women on Slave Ships Less protection against unwanted sexual
attention from European men African women worth half the price of African
men in the Caribbean markets Separation from male slaves made them
easier targets Historian Barbara Bush
– Middle passage horrors depressed sex drives
VI. Landing and Sale in the West Indies Pre-sale
– Bathed and exercised– Oiled bodies to conceal blemishes and
bruises– Hemp plugs
VII. Seasoning
Modify behavior and attitude Preparation for North American planters
VII. Seasoning (cont.)
Creoles– slaves born in the Americas
– worth three times price of unseasoned Africans Old Africans
– Lived in the Americas for some time
New Africans– Had just survived the middle passage
Creoles and Old Africans instruct New Africans
VIII. The End of the Journey
Survival – One-third died
• Men died at a greater rate than women
– Adapted to new foods– Learned a new language
• Creole dialect well enough to obey commands
– Psychological ~ no longer suicidal• Africans retained culture despite the hardships
and cruel treatment• Created bonds with shipmates that replaced
blood kinship
IX. The Ending of the Atlantic Slave Trade Cruelties help end Atlantic slave trade
– English abolitionists• Thomas Clarkson, William Wilberforce, and Granville
Sharp• Moral crusade and economy less dependent on slave
trade• Great Britain bans Atlantic slave trade in 1807 • Patrols African coast to enforce • United States Congress outlaws slave trade in 1808• Guinea and western central African kingdoms oppose
banning slave trade
X. Conclusion
Nine to eleven million Africans brought to the Americas during three centuries of trade– Millions more died– Most arrived between 1701 and 1810– Only 600,000 reached the British colonies
of North America