Africa & the Transatlantic Slave Trade• American Indians succumbed to

disease as laborers in colonies• “1st the Portuguese, then

Spanish, Dutch, French, English & Americans turned to West, central, and, to a lesser degree, southeastern Africa for an ample supply of slaves.”

• Portuguese monopoly until 1640s when Dutch arrive

• French & English involved late 17th century

• During 18th century, greatest slave shipments, French & English carried ½ slave traffic

• Britain & America outlaw slave trade in 1807

Brief Background

• Slavery not a new practice

• Slave institutions in sub-saharan Africa were ancient

• Slave trafficking practiced by Islamic states of SW Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, Mediterranean, & Europe

• African slave trade part of larger commercial system

Slavery in Africa• Oriental slave trade=Islamic states of

Mediterranean & SW Asia with Africa before 15th century & indiginous trading (Sudan & Horn of Africa)

• Occidental slave trade=European slave trade, originating in 13th century with plantations in Cyprus, Brazil, Caribbean, Atlantic islands (west & central Africa)

• Portuguese used plantation system, so needed slaves

• Started in savannah & Horn, then 15th century open west coast to Angola

• By 1650, occidental started to surpass oriental

• External trade drained African male population, internal female slave trade grew

• By 1850, external trade replaced by internal trade, formal end of African slavery between 1874-1928

Africans in the Trade• Except for the Portuguese

in central Africa, European slave traders obtained slaves from gov’t sponsored African middlemen at forts or coastal anchorages

• Europeans built forts for traders, needed to avoid disease

• Slaves originally bartered, then monetary payment

Goree Island slave fort’s “Door of No Return” on Senegalese coast

Sources of Slaves• Major sources of slaves

for Atlantic trade– 1526-1550

• Kongo-Angola (34%)• Guinea coast of Cape

Verde (25.6%)• Senegambia (23.5%)

– 1761-1810• FRENCH

– Angola (52%)– Benin (24%)– Senegambia (4.8%)

• BRITISH– Bight of Biafra (Nigeria)– Central Africa

Extent of Slave Trade• Occidental slave trade over time:

– Before 1600 (3%)– 1600-1700 (14%)– 1701-1810 (60%)– 1811-1870 (20%)

• Europe tried to stop trading in early 1800s• Portuguese continued; 500,000+ slaves to

Brazil between 1811-1870• Total # of slaves traded still debated,

somewhere between 11 & 13 millions Africans in Atlantic slave trade over 4 centuries

Trans-Atlantic imports by region1450-1900

Region Number %

Brazil 4,000,000 35.4

Spanish Empire 2,500,000 22.1

British West Indies 2,000,000 17.7

French West Indies 1,600,00 14.1

British North America 500,000 4.4

/United States

Dutch West Indies 500,000 4.4

Danish West Indies 28,000 0.2

Europe (and Islands) 200,000 1.8

Total 11,328,000 100.0Data derived from table II as presented in: Thomas, Hugh. The Slave Trade. Simon & Schuster, 1997. ISBN 0-

68481063-8

Brooks Slave Ship•British ship

•Ship 25’ wide, 100’ long

•As many as 609 slaves

•Space per slave 78” by 16”

Consequences of Slave Trade• Scale of Atlantic trade was

unprecedented • Population changes, down &,

perhaps up due to importation of American food crops

• Impact varied by region• Caused increase in

indigenous slavery• Disrupted previous market &

political structures• Disturbed male-female ratio

& thus birthrate patterns• Caused African energies to be

counterproductive or even destructive

Facts from “Africans in Mexico” exhibit at Mexican Fine Arts Center• Isabella & Ferdinand expelled “Moors” back to

Africa; the Moors had previously ruled Spain for 700 years!!!

• Total Number of Enslaved Africans 1450-1900– Brazil – 4,000,000– Spanish Colonial America – 2,250,000– Mexico – 250,000– British West Indies – 2,000,000– British North America (United States) – 500,000– Other – 2,328,000