Africa in the Age of the Atlantic Slave Trade Mr. Somogye AP World History

Overview Atlantic Slave Trade Mid 15th – mid 19th cent. Aprox 11 million ppl from Africa to the Americas Millions more died in the process Vast Human Tragedy Transformed societies of all participants African Diaspora created racially mixed societies in the Americas Slave trade and slavery enriched many Metaphor for many types of social oppression

Volume of the Slave Trade 15th century minimal – to Atlantic island plantations 16th century – small 17th c. increase to 16,000 per year 18th c. most of trade, 7 million slaves, 80% of all trade over all years 19th c. slows down, under attack, still exports to Cuba & Brazil (1.7 million)

African Slave Trade

African Slave Trade

African Slavery Slavery was common in African society Where? The Kongo, Ghana, Benin, etc. All land was owned by the state Owning slaves was a way to gain wealth Slaves were used for servants, concubines, and field workers Arrival of Europeans provided new opportunities for expansion of slavery

Slavery & African Politics Competition between rival kingdoms led to endless wars Kingdoms trade slaves for guns Wars led to political centralization Slave trade shifts balance of power From Sudanic Africa to the Gold Coast, the Kongo, and Angola

Slave trade Most human societies had slaves Africans practiced slavery and sold slaves for centuries Slavery took many forms Slavery in Americas = very distinct Scale and importance was enormous Plantation agriculture, slave = no rights, inherited Hypocrisy of societal ideals vs. practice of slavery Slavery = blackness

American Sugar Plantation Chattel Slavery, Seasoning of Slaves Dehumanization, loss of identity Sugar = hardest labor Terror and fear to control enslaved peoples to be black = to be a slave (1619) many forms of resistance overt & covert

Why Africans? Origins of Atlantic slavery in Med. w/ sugar Slavs no longer available Indians died of European diseases Indians still were enslaved, just didn’t last Euro indentured servants = too expensive and too Christian Africans Were farmers, some immunity to Euro diseases Not Christian, readily available Historical dispute about racism, haha dispute Racism had existed but also developed along w/ slavery

Middle Passage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgTGiWeRCWc

Slavery In Practice Driven by European demand Europeans rarely raided for slaves, rather they traded freely w/ Africans for slaves Africans capture and sell 4 Euro goods (esp. silver) Destabilized African Societies Pace of slave trade inc. exponentially The Enslaved ppl from West Africa, marginal groups Africans rarely sold own ppl 80% end up in Brazil and Caribbean

Elmina Castle

Consequences of Atlantic Slave Trade Created new trans-regional linkages Slowed Africa’s Growth Europe and China expand Africa population % drops economic stagnation and political disruption (no production, no adv. In agriculture or industry) Effects still felt today tribal conflict, underdevelopment, political corrup. Kingdoms disintegrated (Kongo, Oyo) The Human Toll