Ch. 19 - The Atlantic System and Africa, 1550-1800

3 phases of the Atlantic Circuit

#1: First Leg: From Europe to Africa, carried European manufacturers-Nobility metals, hardware, and guns, as well as great quantities of cotton textiles brought from India #2: Middle Passage: Atlantic to plantation colonies, traded many slaves #3: Third Leg: Plantation goods from the colonies returned to Europe

Three environmental impacts of sugar cultivation

#1: Forests were cleared(to plant more sugar) #2: (Repeated cultivation) Removed more nutrients from the soil than animal fertilizer nd fallow periods could restore #3: Instead of rotating sugar with other crops, planters cleared new lands because it was more profitable

Major sources of slaves from Africa

* Prisoners of war -If 2 empires fought, the winning empire would receive all of the losing empire slaves

Division of labor

- "Great gang"-strongest slaves did the heaviest work. - - The second gang of youths, elders, and fewer fit slaves - did the lighter work. - "Grass gang"-composed of children, with an elderly slave supervisor-did simple work. -Old slaves tended to toddlers. Women, except pregnant or after giving birth, had brutal work like men. The majority of women were field laborers

Percentage received by Brazil

-33%

Percentage received by North America

-5%

Percentage received by West Indies

-50%

Slaves traded during 1500-1650

-800,000 slaves brought across the Atlantic

African slave trade to the Islamic world and India: To Indian Ocean ports and Asia Minor

-892,000 slaves were shipped over Indian ocean to the markets in Asia minor and Indian ocean parts

Examples of Syncretism on plantations

-Because so many slaves died, planters had to continually buy more and more slaves especially when they expanded their plantations. This led to a majority of African slaves that brought their religious beliefs, patterns of speech, style of dress, and music that became prominent parts of west Indian life

African slave trade to the Islamic world and India: Transatlantic Slave Trade

-Delivered between 12 and 13 million slaves tot he Americas

Effect of the slave trade on Sub-Saharan societies: Demographics

-Even at the peak of trade in the 1700's, sub-Saharan Africa's overall population remained very large -Localities that contributed heavily to the slave trade suffered acute losses

How "Economies of scale" encouraged sugar production

-Larger mills were more efficient and produced on a large scale which lowered costs

African slave trade to the Islamic world and India: To the Arabian Peninsula

-Maritime routes delivered approximately 1,172,000 slaves from sub-Saharan Africa to the Arabian Peninsula

Islamic view of slavery

-Muslims saw no moral impediment to owning or trading in slaves -Islam considered enslaving pagans to be a meritorious act because it brought them into the faith -Forbade Muslims from enslaving other Muslims

Gold Cost involvement in the slave trade: Oyo and Asante

-Overseas trade formed a relatively large part of the economies which maintained extensive overland trade with their neighbors and states across the Sahara -Grew more powerful from external trade -In 1730, the Oyo kingdom overran Dahomey and forced it to pay tribute in order for it to keep it's independence

Health and morality on plantations

-Planters would whip slaves who fell behind because of fatigue or illness -Planters reserved brutal punishments such as floggings, mutilations such as cutting off noses and ears, and beatings for slaves who refused to work, disobeyed orders, or tried to escape -Slaves would sing to distract them from fatigue and pain -poor nutrition -Dysentery caused by contaminated food and water was common

African slave trade to the Islamic world and India: To North Africa and the Middle East

-Slave traders sent 3,166,000 slaves to North Africa and the Middle East via various land routes

African states engaged in the slave trade

-Some Africans profited from the trade by capturing and selling slaves -Bartered slaves for trade goods

Gold Cost involvement in the slave trade: Dahomey

-Strengthened by firearms acquired in the slave trade -Bartered slaves for trade goods

Effect of the slave trade on Sub-Saharan societies: Economies

-Textiles and metal bars stimulated the local position of tools and clothing -The limited volume of manufactured imports could not overwhelm established African weavers, metal workers and other producers -Africans were particular in what they exchanged for slaves

Early development of capitalism

-The Atlantic economy in the 17th and 18th centuries that depended more on private enterprise which made trade more efficient and profitable -It was originally developed for business dealings within Europe but then it spread over seas in the 17th century when slow economic growth in Europe led to many investors seeking profits in the productions and export of colonials products and European products in the colonies

Relationship between sugar cultivation and the slave trade

-The Portuguese developed sugar plantations that relied on African slaves -By 1680's, sugar had become the principal crop and enslaved Africans had become 3 times as numerous as European settlers in Barbados -Expansion of sugar plantations in the west Indies depended on a sharp increase in the volume of slaves

Angola's role in the slaves trade

-The greatest source of slaves for the Atlantic trade -Was the one place along Africa's Atlantic coast where a single nation, Portugal, controlled a significant amount of territory. Portuguese residents of the min ports, Luanda and Benguela served as middlemen for caravans from the interior and ships that crossed from Brazil

How chartered companies impacted the population of Caribbean colonies

-These companies provided passage to the colonies for poor Europeans who were obligated to work for 4 years as indentured servants -As a result, , French and English colonies grew rapidly

Role of slaves in the Islamic world

-They served as soldiers and servants -150,000 slaves were used in Morocco's army -Sugar plantations, as servants, and as artisans -Majority were used as concubines, servants, and entertainers

Why royal monopolies failed

-They were expansive and inefficient

Slaves traded during 1650-1800

-Volume rose to nearly 7.5 million slaves during the boom in sugar production

Gender roles on plantations

-Women, except when pregnant or briefly after giving birth, were subject to the same brutal labor regime as men -Men outnumbered women on nearly every plantation(twice as many were imported)

What area was the largest producer of sugar(1) in the 1600s? (2) By 1700s?

1. Brazil 2. Barbados

Middle Passage Mortality rates:

1: Before 1700- 23% 2: In last half of 18th century, mortality rates halved 3: Failed escapes and mutinies also contributed to morality 4: Mistreatment also contributed to high mortality rates(whippings, beatings, executions, and disease such as Dysentery and Smallpox)

Methods Europeans used to encourage mercantilism

1: Chartered companies: They helped state acquisition and control over trade and resources 2: Use of military force: Through military force, the Europeans drove the Dutch west India company into bankruptcy and forced Spain to grant monopoly rights to supply slaves to it's colonies 3: High tariffs and restrictions: This reduced foreigners and protected national manufacturing and agricultural interests

Social Hierarchy of free peoples(3 groups)

1: Wealthy owners of large sugar plantations(The Blancs): Mostly french nationals, who dominated the economy and society 2: Less well-off Europeans(Petits Blancs): Colonial officials, retail merchants, and small-scale agriculturists 3: Free Blacks(many of mixed race): Many owned property, and a surprising number owned slaves

What percentage of the population in most West Indian colonies were slaves?

90%

Manumission

A grant of legal freedom to an individual slave

Songhai

A people, language, kingdom, and empire in western Sudan in West Africa

Bornu

A powerful West African kingdom at the southern edge of the Sahara in the Central Sudan, which was important in trans-Saharan trade and in the spread of Islam

Drivers

A privileged male slave whose job was to ensure that a slave gang did it's work on a plantation

Maroons

A slave who ran away from his or her master

Royal African Company

A trading company chartered by the English government in 1672 to conduct its merchants' trade on the Atlantic coast of Africa

How did Africans benefit from the slave trade?

African rulers and merchants exported slaves and other products to obtain foreign goods that made them wealthier and more powerful and most of the exported slaves were prisoners taken in wars associated with African state growth. Strong African states or powerful merchant communities also proved better able to defend African territory and limit European economic advantages. The Africans who gained from this trade were rich and powerful few. Many more Africans were losers in the exchange.

Who dictated the terms of trade for Africans slaves, Africans or Europeans? Describe this process

Africans, African gov. on the Gold and Slave Coasts forced Europeans to observe African trading customs and prevented them from taking control of African territory. Willem Bosman, head of the Dutch East India Company in West Africa bemoaned the fact that, to stay competitive against other European traders, his company had to include weaponry (muskets an gunpowder) in goods it exchanged, adding to Africans military power.

Hausa

An agricultural and trading people of central Sudan in West Africa

Seasoning

An often difficult period of adjustment to new climates, disease environments, and work routines, such as that experienced by slaves newly arrived in the Americas

Which European countries had colonies in Africa, and where were they located?

Angola(Portugal) - exported slaves Cape Colony(Netherlands, Dutch East India Company) - tied to Indian Ocean trade. Didn't export slaves. Most of 25, 750 slaves were not African, but from Madagascar, South Asia, and East Indies

Compare Islamic and European cultural influences in sub-Saharan Africa: European

Cultural influence in Africa was more limited. In 1700s, only Angola has a significant number of Christians. African languages continued to dominate inland trade routes. Coastal African traders found it useful to learn European languages

How was the European role in the Atlantic system different from that in the Indian Ocean trade network?

Demonstrated their recently acquired military superiority by conquering and colonizing the Americas, and capturing major Indian Ocean trade routes. Development of the Atlantic system also revealed the ability of Europeans to move beyond capturing the commercial benefits of existing systems in order to create major new trading networks.

In what colonies/areas was manumission more common?

English colonies in the Caribbean

Mercantilism

European government policies of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries designed to promote overseas trade between a country and its colonies and accumulate precious metals by requiring colonies to trade only with their motherland country

religious practices on plantations

European planters required slaves to learn colonial languages and discouraged the use of African languages by purposely mixing slaves from different parts of Africa. Slaves were encouraged to adopt Catholic religious practices. In the British West Indies, slaves owners encouraged Christianity among slaves - African-derived religions thrived

Chartered Companies

Groups of private investors who paid an annual fee to France and England in exchange for a monopoly over trade to the West Indies colonies

Plantocracy

In the West Indian colonies, the rich men who owned most of the slaves and most of the land, especially in the eighteenth century

Why did colonial ventures transition from government -granted monopolies to private ventures in the 1600s and 1700s?

Monopoly control proved both expensive and inefficient. Success of the Atlantic economy depended much more on private enterprise, which made trade more efficient and profitable and spread risk among a large number of participants. Private investors were attracted to colonial trade by rich profits generated by New World agriculture and mining.

Compare Islamic and European cultural influences in sub-Saharan Africa: Islamic

Scholars and merchants learned to use the Arabic languages to communicate with visiting North Africans and to read the Quran. Islamic beliefs and practices as well as Islamic legal and administrative systems were influential in African trading cities on the southern edge of the Sahara and all exceeded influence in rural people, but in 1750 it was still an urban religon

What goods were most sought after by Africans in their exchange with Europeans?

Textiles, hardware and guns had to be a specific way. In the eighteenth century, tobacco and rum from the Americas were welcome imports.

Capitalism

The economic system of large financial institutions. Banks, stock exchanges, investment companies that first developed in early modern Europe

Atlantic Circuit

The network of trade routes connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas that underlay the Atlantic system

Atlantic System

The network of trading links after 1500 that moved goods, wealth, people, and cultures around the Atlantic Ocean basin

Royal Middle Passage

The part of the Atlantic circuit involving the transportation of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas

How did the volume of the trans-Saharan slave trade and Indian Ocean slave trade compare to the trans-Atlantic slave trade?

They were significantly smaller than the volume of trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean slave trade combined

Dutch West India Company

Trading company chartered by the Dutch government to conduct its merchants' trade in the Americas and Africa

Involvement in the slave trade: Bight of Biafra

Using network of markets and inland trading routes, regional merchants supplied European slave traders at the coast with debtors, victims of kidnapping, and convicted criminals. At volume of Atlantic trade along Bight of Biafra expanded, some inland markets evolved into giant fairs with different sections specializing in slaves and imported goods.

How was Africa's experience/role in the Atlantic system similar to or different from that of the Americas?

While Africa played an essential role in the Atlantic system, importing trade goods and exporting slaves to the Americas, the Atlantic system dominated Europe's American colonies much more comprehensively. Even at the height of the slave trade in the eighteenth century Africans remained in control of their continent and interacted culturally and politically more with the Islamic world than with the Atlantic.

Role of tobacco in early colonization

With greater government support, the English colonies prospered, relying initially on tobacco -Was long utilized by Amerindians for medicine -By 1614, 7,000 shops in and around alone sold tobacco

Explain the importance of the Dutch in the development of capitalism?

chief among the institutional innovations were private banks, joint-stock companies, speculative markets in commodities and shares, and commercial insurance. It took more than a century for these novelties to take root across the continent, but the earliest adopters, English and Dutch, led commercial expansions and enjoyed most of the benefits

How did Bornu increase its strength in the 1500s?

growth and expansion resulted from gun imported from the Ottoman Empire

What was a typical male-to-female ration on plantations?

more male than female(125:84)

How did the gender ratio compare to that in the Americas?

more women than men

Did Europeans establish a significant colonial presence in Africa prior to 1800?

no they did not

How did Africans usually procure slaves to sell to the Europeans?

prisoners captured in wars as distant as 600 to 800 miles away were carried to the ports for transportation across the Atlantic

What became the most important export of the Caribbean by 1700?

sugar agriculture

What term describes the blended religious practices that developed among slaves?

syncretism

What was the first cash crop grown on a large scale in the Caribbean?

tobacco