Post on 13-Jan-2016
The Atlantic Slave Trade
Chattel Slavery Definition
• Owning humans as property
• Forcing them to work
• Taking away their freedom
Slavery in America
• Began with the first European colonists • At first Natives, then Africans• Most in Southern parts of the Americas• Worked mostly on farms:
– Cotton– Coffee– Sugar
The Gold Coast
The Gold Coast• 1471- Portuguese find gold there, and
establish settlements• Soon after the Atlantic slave trade begins• Other nations follow: Dutch, English,
Prussians
• Slavery already existed before Europeans came to Africa
• Europeans “globalized” it
Capture
• People were hunted and captured from their homes
• Targets were men and women aged 18-35
• Children were taken too
Capture Cont…
• Upon capture slaves were shackled and marched
• Marches could be up to 1000 miles to the coast (many would die)
• Large “Slave Castles” would hold slaves until they were shipped to Americas
• Some were held for a year or more
Slave Castles
• Holding cells in which captive slaves were held in Africa
• People crammed in (sometimes hundreds in a very small space)
• No light
• Openings from above for viewing and feeding
Slave Castle
Slave Holding Cell
Atlantic Crossing
• 60-90 days long• Slaves were crammed in close quarters• Combine:
– Sea sickness - Poor sanitation– Mal-nutrition - Disease– Torture - Rape
• Many people died• Some jumped overboard
Welcome to America
• Upon arrival survivors were cleaned, oiled, and auctioned
• After sale, slaves would be transported to their new homes
• Owners could force slaves to do anything they wanted
Crash Course Video on the Atlantic Slave Trade
Discussion:• What did you think of the video?
• Did anything surprise you in the video?
• What do you know about other forms of slavery other than the Atlantic trade?