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Chapter 26

Africa and the Atlantic World

History Mystery:

Written by historian Kenneth Pomeranz in his book “Economic Culture of Drugs”

“The fact is that historically, goods considered drugs, that is, products ingested, smoked, sniffed or drunk to produce an altered state of being, have been central to exchange and production…

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Drugs?

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Continued Quote… Written by historian Kenneth Pomeranz in his book

“Economic Culture of Drugs”

“In the seventeenth century affluent people all over the world began to drink, smoke and eat exotic plants that came from long distances. Coffee, tea, cocoa, tobacco and sugar all became popular at roughly the same time… Before long, most the drug foods were being produced in new, distant parts of the world that Europeans had colonized… Colonial empires were built on the foundation of drug trades

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Altered State of Being?

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Cartoon by E.T. Parris showing English attitude towards sugar consumption

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Video Clip 1: An Introduction

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African states, 1500-1650

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Foundations of the Slave Trade African slavery dates to ancient times

War captives, criminals, people expelled from clans

Distinct from Asian, European slavery No private property, therefore wealth

defined by human labor potential, not land

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The Islamic Slave Trade

Dramatic expansion of slave trade with Arab traders on east coast

European demand on west coast causes demand to rise again

Clip 2: Europeans and Existing Slave Trade

(start at 50 seconds in)

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King of Kongo and European Ambassadors

Major Slave Trade Destinations

Red Sea – 6%Trans-Sahara – 19%East Africa &Indian Ocean – 6%Trans-Atlantic – 69%

Shaded areas show regionsmost slaves come from

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Destinations of African Slaves

50%

33%

12%

5%

Caribbean

Brazil

Central, South America

North America

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African Slaves in Plantation Societies Most slaves in tropical and subtropical

regions Later Mexico, Brazil, Caribbean and

Americas Sugar major cash crop

Later: tobacco, rice, indigo, cotton, coffee Plantations heavily dependent on slave

labor

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The Triangular Trade

1. European manufactured goods (especially firearms) sent to Africa

2. African slaves purchased and sent to Americas 3. Cash crops purchased in Americas and returned

to Europe

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The Atlantic slave trade, 1500-1800

Clip 3: Triangular Trade

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The Middle Passage (Africa-Americas) Middle passage under horrific conditions

4-6 weeks Mortality initially high, often over 50%,

eventually declined to 5% Total slave traffic, 15th-18th c.: 12 million Approximately 3-4 million killed before

arrival

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African Slave Export per Year

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10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

16th c. 17th c. 18th c.

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Social Effects of Slave trade

Total African population expands due to importation of American crops

Yet millions of captured Africans removed from society, deplete regional populations

Distorted sex ratios result 2/3 of slaves male, 14-35 years of age Encouraged polygamy, women acting in traditionally

male roles

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Political Effects of Slave TradeWarfare increases Slaves for guns = leaders increase exports to maintain

control of European firearms Political authority in Africa becomes tied to slave raiding

Instability of Political Structures States develop and exist to sell their subjects and

enemies. Strong tribal/ethnic ties only security against enslavement.

little development nation-states, that could generate the resources needed to compete with Europe or the Islamic world.

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Regional Differences Caribbean, South America: African population

unable to maintain numbers because of: Malaria, yellow fever Brutal working conditions, sanitation, nutrition Gender imbalance

Constant importation of slaves

North America: less disease, more normal sex ratio Slave families encouraged as prices rise in 18th

century

Diaspora is a Greek term that literally

means “scattering”.

Sugar and Slavery:

A Look at Chocolate and Tea

Reading the “Problem” “Every piece of material we use has been produced for

us by people we will never know” “historically, goods considered drugs… have been

central to exchange and production” “A growing taste for rare and stimulating commodities

had a transformative effect on the world and it’s people”

“European capital, American land, and African labor cam to be combined in a single international economic enterprise…[an] insatiable demand for sweets”

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Reading the “Background”

The Four Major Facts of Sugar

1. Where does sugar grow?

2. What does it take to grow it?

3. How much is needed to make a profit?

4. What makes sugar sellable?

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Background

“since sugar can in no way establish itself as a central source of carbohydrates in the human diet… it requires export outlets if it is to flourish”

“the use of sugar as a sweetener of newly popular beverages (coffee, cocoa, tea) became common…”

“what set sugar apart was its character as an agro-industrial enterprise”

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Cacao

What Cacao Tastes Like…

Among the products usually added to cacao beverages were spices like black pepper, vanilla, and chili pepper

Because of its bitter flavor, it took time for the Spanish and other Europeans to develop a taste for chocolate.

Tasting #1

But to make money off chocolate trading Europeans needed to add sugar and milk to counteract the natural bitterness

The Spread of Chocolate

Eventually cacao was common in Europe… but the sugar needed to sell chocolate was essential.

The British were responsible, in 1728 for the first clubs exclusively for fans of chocolate, and above all for the development of the chocolate bar

The father of British chocolate is John Cadbury (1801-1889). In 1824, Cadbury opened his first coffee, tea and chocolate shop.

The Cadbury Chocolate Factory

Now, What about tea?

Tea Fields in China

Tea Reaches Europe in the 1600s At first there was a high cost of the tea (over

$100 per pound) which immediately made it the domain of the wealthy. Slowly, as the amount of tea imported increased, the price fell as the amount of tea grew. Initially it was available to the public in shops along with such rare and new spices as ginger and sugar

As the craze for things from Asia swept Europe, tea became part of the way of life.

Tea Mania:

Tea mania swept across England as it had earlier spread throughout France and Holland. Tea importation rose from 40,000 pounds in 1699 to an annual average of 240,000 pounds by 1708. Tea was drunk by all levels of society.

Fresh Picked Leaves

Add Some Sugar…

Where Sugar Grows

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Clip 4: Olaudah Equiano

Document # 10