The Slave Trade and Its Impact on Africa 11: New Global Connections

How did the Atlantic slave trade affect colonial economies?

Slave labor brought to European colonies in the Americas by the triangular trade network made those colonies gain wealth and productive output. Colonial industries such as shipping, tobacco, sugar, and fishing became prosperous. Port cities in the Americas grew and thrived.

-from Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea

Some kept their heads low and their faces bathed in tears, looking at each other ... others struck themselves in the face and threw themselves to the ground; and others sang sad songs—although we did not understand their words, the sound told of their great sorrow. ... The mothers threw themselves flat on the ground. They were beaten but they refused to give up their children.

What possible effects would the trade shown on this map have had on West Africa and the Americas?

The Americas probably had increased wealth due to the importing of cheap slave labor and exporting of manufactured goods. West Africa probably experienced the negative effects of having communities disrupted by the taking of slaves.

Why did the Spanish begin using enslaved Africans to work in their mines and fields?

The Spanish relied on Native Americans to work in their mines and fields, but too many died from European diseases. The Spanish began trading for enslaved Africans to replace the forced laborers lost to illness.

This map shows triangular trade routes that started in the 1500s. What trade goods were slaves exchanged for in North America?

rum, tobacco, cotton, molasses

Why did the African slave trade expand?

As a result of European exploration and expansion, European traders arrived in Africa and entered the slave trade. These merchants shipped hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans to work on plantations in European colonies in the Americas.

Why were the ships of the Middle Passage called "floating coffins"?

Enslaved Africans were packed like cargo below the decks of the ships. They were chained together for the entire voyage, which could last as long as three months. The conditions were so crowded and unsanitary that many died from disease.

Why did Equiano find himself in a different position than other enslaved people?

Equiano says he was "reduced so low" that he was kept on deck; this likely means that he was so weak and sickly that the slave owners had mercy on him and let him stay above the hold. Equiano was also not chained because of his young age.

Why do you think Olaudah Equiano wrote this slave narrative? Explain your reasoning.

I think Equiano wanted to bring to the attention of the public the horrible way in which enslaved persons were treated, and in particular, how terrible the journey was from Africa to the Americas (or England).

Many African states were involved in or affected by the slave trade. In general, where were most slave trading regions located? Why?

in coastal areas because that is where the Europeans were based.

How did the three steps of the triangular trade network function?

First, merchant ships transported European goods, such as guns and cloth, from Europe to Africa. In Africa, the goods were exchanged for slaves. The second step, called the Middle Passage, transported enslaved Africans from Africa to the Americas. Hundreds of thousands died on this journey. In the Americas, the slaves were exchanged for sugar, molasses, cotton, tobacco, and other plantation products. The third step was to ship these goods across the Atlantic for profitable sales in Europe.

How does the phrase improvident avarice contribute to Equiano's overall description of the journey?

The phrase is effective in two ways. First, the phrase is very elegant and erudite, which contrasts sharply with the horrifying details of the journey. In this way, the phrase highlights how truly awful the enslaved people were treated. Second saying that the slave owners were rash in their greediness accentuates how inhuman they were.

Write a short summary explaining how the Atlantic slave trade impacted West Africa and the Americas.

The slave trade brought much wealth to traders in Africa and plantation owners in the Americas. In West Africa, some states and societies were decimated by the abduction and death of many thousands of people. However, other West African kingdoms participated in the slave trade and grew in wealth and power. In the end, millions of Africans were transported to a life of slavery in the Americas. Slavery did not end in the United States until the Civil War in the 1860s. In Brazil, slavery would not be abolished until the late 1800s.

Based on this information, what percentage of slaves died during passage to the Americas? Where in the Americas did most slaves end up?

about 18% (2 million out of 11 million); Most slaves ended up in the Caribbean and South America.