Europeans began to explore Africa in search of gold. The
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade began around the 1450's when
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Why did the Trade Begin?
Expanding European empires in the New World lacked one
major resource -- a work force. In most cases the indigenous peoples had proved unreliable (most of them were dying from diseases brought over from Europe), and Europeans were
unsuited to the climate and suffered under tropical diseases. Africans, on the other hand, were excellent workers: they often had experience with agriculture and keeping cattle, they were used to a tropical climate, resistant to tropical diseases, and
they could be "worked very hard" on plantations or in mines. Was Slavery New to Africa?
Africans had been traded as slaves for centuries -- reaching
Europe via the Islamic-run, trans-Saharan, trade routes. Slavery was also a traditional part of African society -- various states and kingdoms in Africa operated one or more of the following:
• chattel slavery: Chattel slaves are considered their masters' property- exchanged for things like goods or money
and expected to perform labor. • debt bondage: Using-labor to pay off a debt to another person. • forced labor: Forced labor is a practice of mandatory labor exacted by a state or by agencies of a state, other than
as a punishment for a criminal offence. • serfdom: Condition in which a tenant farmer was bound to a hereditary plot ofl and and to the will of his landlord.
What was the Triangular Trade? All three stages of the Triangular Trade (named for the rough shape it makes on a map) proved lucrative for merchants. The first stage of the Triangular Trade involved taking manufactured goods from Europe to Africa: cloth, spirit, tobacco, beads, cowrie shells, metal goods, and guns. The guns were used to help expand empires and obtain more slaves (until they were finally used against European colonizers). These goods were exchanged for African slaves. The second stage of the Triangular Trade (the middle passage) involved shipping the slaves to the Americas. The third, and final, stage of the Triangular Trade involved the return to Europe with the produce from the slave-labor plantations: cotton, sugar, tobacco, molasses and rum. Origin of African Slaves Sold in the Triangular Trade Slaves for the Trans-Atlantic slave trade were initially sourced in Senegambia and the Windward Coast. Around 1650 the trade moved to west-central Africa (the Kingdom of the Kongo and neighboring Angola). The transport of slaves from Africa to the Americas forms the middle passage of the triangular trade.
Who Started the Triangular Trade? For two hundred years, 1440-1640, Portugal had a monopoly on the export of slaves from Africa. It is notable that they were also the last European country to abolish the institution - although, like France, it still continued to work former slaves as contract laborers. It is estimated that during the 4 1/2 centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Portugal was responsible for transporting over 4.5 million Africans (roughly 40% of the total).
Overview of the Trans-Saharan Slave Trade Slavery has been rife throughout all of ancient history. Most, if not all, ancient civilizations practiced this institution and it is described (and defended) in early writings of the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Egyptians. It was also practiced by early societies in Central America and Africa. Why did the trade begin? After Muhammad's (the founder ofl slam) death in 632AD, his followers quickly spread out from Arabia across North Africa and into Europe. As the Islamic Empire expanded, many of its inhabitants became very wealthy. The L.
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Islamic trade began during the 700's. Like many ancient civilizations, slavery was not seen as evil, but as a part of social order; it was very prestigious to own slaves. As a result of the newfound wealth and the attitude towards slavery, the demand for slaves increased.
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How were slaves obtained? Slaves were obtained through:
conquest • tribute from weaker states: some states were required to provide hundreds of male and female slaves offspring: children of slaves were also slaves rz - .
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under Muslim rule (as long as they maintained payment of taxes).
• People from outside the borders of the Islamic Empire were considered an acceptable source of slaves.
2. Eunuchs, or male slaves that were mutilated so they could not have children, were prized slaves. It was believed
that they made the best bodyguards. However, Islamic law did not allow mutilation of slaves, so it was done
before they crossed the border.
The majority of these slaves were captured by other Africans in the interior and brought to the borders of the Islamic Empire to be sold in markets. Black Africans were transported to the Islamic empire across the Sahara to Morocco and Tunisia from West Africa, from Chad to Libya, along the Nile from East Africa, and up the coast of East Africa to the Persian Gulf This trade had been well going on for over 600 years before Europeans arrived, and had driven the rapid expansion of Islam across North Africa. (See Map #1)
How were slaves treated? The law required owners to treat slaves well, provide medical treatment, and prohibited slave owners from taking young children from their mothers. Despite these protections, a slave had no right to be heard in court (testimony was forbidden by slaves), had no right to property, could marry only with permission of their owner, and was considered to be chattel - or an owner's property. Conversion to Islam did not automatically give a slave freedom nor did it give freedom to their children. While highly educated slaves and those in the military did win their freedom, those used for basic duties rarely achieved freedom.
The Transatlantic Slave Trade began in the 1450s as Portuguese interests shifted from gold exploration to the slave trade.
By the 1600s, the trade was fully operational, peaking towards the end of the 1700s. This trade operated on a system known as the triangular trade, which linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
Reasons for the Trade
The expanding European empires in the New World faced a labor shortage. Indigenous populations declined due to diseases introduced by Europeans, and European colonizers were not suited for the harsh climates where they established plantations.
Africans were targeted as a labor source because they had experience in agriculture, were accustomed to tropical climates, and were generally more resistant to diseases that affected Europeans.
Slavery in Africa
Slavery was not new to Africa; it had been practiced in various forms, such as:
Chattel slavery: slaves considered as property.
Debt bondage: using labor to repay debts.
Forced labor: mandatory work imposed by governments.
Serfdom: farmers bound to land owned by others.
Slaves were often traded along existing routes established by Islamic traders prior to the arrival of Europeans.
The Triangular Trade
First Stage: Manufactured goods from Europe (e.g., cloth, guns, alcohol) were shipped to Africa.
Second Stage (Middle Passage): Enslaved Africans were transported to the Americas under horrific conditions.
Third Stage: Raw materials produced on plantations (e.g., sugar, tobacco, cotton) were sent back to Europe.
Sources of African Slaves
The initial sources of slaves were the Senegambia region and the Windward Coast. By around 1650, the trade expanded into West-Central Africa, specifically the Kingdom of Kongo and Angola.
Early European Involvement
Portugal monopolized the African slave trade from 1440 to 1640 and transported an estimated 4.5 million Africans, about 40% of all transatlantic slaves.
Overview of the Trans-Saharan Slave Trade
Historical Context
Slavery existed throughout ancient history, practiced in various civilizations including those in Africa and the Islamic Empire.
Following the death of Muhammad in 632 AD, the Islamic Empire expanded rapidly, leading to increased wealth and a greater demand for slaves.
Reasons for the Trade
The demand for slaves rose as slavery was integral to the social order of many societies.
Slavery was seen as prestigious and was often justified by economic needs, conquest, and tribute.
Acquisition of Slaves
Slaves were acquired through:
Conquest: Captured during military campaigns.
Tribute: Weaker states provided slaves as part of a tribute system.
Purchase: Buying slaves was the primary method.
Eunuchs, valued for their ability to serve as bodyguards, were particularly sought after.
Treatment of Slaves
Although Islamic law did impose some protections for slaves (e.g., prohibiting the separation of children from mothers and mandating medical care), they lacked many rights and were considered chattel to their owners.
Although educated or military slaves could sometimes gain their freedom, those in servitude for manual labor often remained enslaved for life.
Comparative Summary
Both the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Trans-Saharan Slave Trade were fueled by economic demands and the need for labor, leading to widespread human suffering and exploitation.
The Transatlantic trade was characterized by its connection to plantation economies in the Americas and the brutal Middle Passage, while the Trans-Saharan trade was tied to the Islamic world and involved both purchase and capture within existing African societies.
Portuguese dominance marked the early years of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, while the Trans-Saharan trade involved diverse African societies participating in slavery as part of their economic and social systems.
Overall, both trades reflect deep historical patterns of exploitation and underscore the lasting impacts of slavery on societies across continents.
Compare the trans saharan and transatlantic slave trades venn diagram
