Notes on the Atlantic Slave Trade

Definition of Slavery

• Treatment of individuals as property, deprived of personal rights.
• Occurred in many forms across the world.

The Atlantic Slave Trade Overview

• Spanned from the late 15th to the mid 19th century.
• Over 10 million Africans forcibly brought to the Americas.
• Lasting impact on slaves, their descendants, and global economies.

Historical Context

• Centuries of contact between Europe and Africa prior to the slave trade via the Mediterranean.
• Slave trade began in the late 1400s with Portuguese colonies in West Africa and Spanish settlements in the Americas.

Economic Motives

• Crops like sugar cane, tobacco, and cotton required intensive labor.
• Insufficient labor force from settlers and indentured servants.
• Native populations diminished due to disease and resistance, prompting Europeans to look to Africa for labor.

African Slavery Before the Atlantic Trade

• Existing forms of slavery in Africa: indentured servants, similar to European serfs.
• Some slaves could own land and rise in society.
• African kings and merchants sold slaves, viewing them as criminals or prisoners of war, enriching their kingdoms.

Impact of the Slave Trade on African Societies

• Increased competition among African kingdoms for European trade.
• Slavery began to replace other criminal sentences, driving warfare for captives.
• European firearms purchased with slaves transformed societal dynamics.

Brutality of the Slave Trade

• Slaves marched to coast forts, shaved, branded, and transported under horrific conditions.
• 20% of slaves did not survive the journey.
• Tight packing by captains led to high mortality from disease and abuse.
• Some captives committed suicide, believing death would return their souls home.
• Survivors treated as cargo, with women and children subjected to abuse.

Legacy of the Atlantic Slave Trade

• Significant population loss in Africa, primarily of able-bodied men.
• Long-term demographic effects and instability within African societies.
• Collapse of economies dependent on the slave trade post-abolition.
• Increase in warfare and turmoil due to European weapon influx.

Contribution to Racism

• Development of racist ideologies to justify slavery.
• Claims of biological inferiority led to a racial basis for slavery in Europe and America.
• Future descendants of slaves faced systemic inequality.

Conclusion

• The Atlantic slave trade represents a massive injustice with far-reaching effects that continue to impact societies today.