Africa and the Atlantic Slave Trade
Pre-European African Slavery Already established in African kingdoms – Conquered peoples enslaved as kingdoms expanded Women especially enslaved to expand lineages Sign of wealth and status Used for gold mining, salt production, caravan trading
Portuguese in Africa Factories: trading forts on the coast – Traded with African kingdoms (Dahomey, Benin) Monopoly on Atlantic slave trade ( ) Pre-1450: slave raids Post-1450: traded for slaves
West African Kingdoms Ashanti Empire – Major producer of gold – Unified by Osei Tutu (r ) Kingdom of Dahomey African kingdoms traded slaves with Europeans for firearms – Used guns to strengthen royal authority, built professional armies, expanded, and captured more slaves
Elmina Castle Built by the Portuguese in 1482 Later used by Dutch and English until early 1800s
Elmina Castle Slaves were brought to the coast by slave traders Traded for guns, cloth, rum, shells Up to 200 Africans per cell 30,000 Africans processed through Elmina every year
Conditions on a Slave Ship
Slave Trade The Middle Passage: Africa to the Americas – 1-6 months at sea Slave ship sailors – Drunk, indebted, former prisoners Slaves – Attempted revolts, committed suicide
Triangle Trade
Slave Trade
African Slave Trade Up to 12 million Africans transported to the New World 10-20% died in the Middle Passage
African Diaspora
African Slaves in the Americas Slaves had high mortality rate, low fertility rate African men were taken more than women – Familiar with tropical agriculture – Stronger immunities to malaria and yellow fever Brazil: 40% of slaves United States: 6 million slaves by 1860 – Up to 25% of the population Caribbean: 80-90% of the population
Religious Syncretism Vodou (Haiti) and Candomblé (Brazil): Fused multiple traditional African religions with Native American and Catholic beliefs – Focused their worship towards a creator deity and various loa or orishas (spirits) – Believed in possession, created shrines – Women played prominent roles as priestesses