Commerce in People: The Atlantic Slave Trade By: Mike Zrust
Origins of Slave Trade Mediterranean and Indian ocean basin Portuguese mariners West and East Africa
Why use slaves from Africa? Religious justifications Plantation economies Disease Substantial numbers
Acquiring Slaves Early efforts by the Portuguese Exploiting African rivalries Use of trade and bargaining
African Slaves Where they came from West Africa Mauritania in the north Angola In the south Moved inland with time Where they went Brazil The Caribbean North America Europe
The Journey Across the Atlantic High mortality rate Suicide Terrible conditions Rebellions
Mutiny on a slave ship video- Roots
Impact of Slave Trade in Africa Slowing of Africa’s growth Economic stagnation Labor demands for women Small-scale kinship societies
Response by African Kingdoms to Slavery Kingdom of Benin Present-day Nigeria Avoided deep involvement Restricted slavery from ’s Focused on exports to Europeans Kingdom of Dahomey Also Present-day Nigeria Annual slave raids Conducted slave trade till the early nineteenth century
Economic Globalization- Then and Now Global circulation of goods International currency Production for the world market Growing economic role of the West Private enterprise
Documents 14.3 The Slave Trade and the Kingdom of Kongo (Pg. 705) 14.4 The Slave Trade and the Kingdom of Asante