Beginning in the 15th century, the Transatlantic Slave Trade brought approximately 12.5 million Africans to the Americas against their will. Of these 12.5 million Africans, approximately 10-20% died on the voyage across the Atlantic alone. And those that survived, were subject to a life of slavery, as were their descendants. Keep reading to learn about the atrocities of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its lasting impacts.
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Jetzt kostenlos anmeldenBeginning in the 15th century, the Transatlantic Slave Trade brought approximately 12.5 million Africans to the Americas against their will. Of these 12.5 million Africans, approximately 10-20% died on the voyage across the Atlantic alone. And those that survived, were subject to a life of slavery, as were their descendants. Keep reading to learn about the atrocities of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its lasting impacts.
The Transatlantic Slave Trade was the leg of the Triangular Trade that went across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to the Americas. In the Triangular Trade, Europeans traded manufactured goods (e.g. guns, cotton textiles, and rum) for enslaved persons in Africa. Then, Europeans brought these enslaved Africans across the Middle Passage to sell in the Americas. African slave labor provided the Americas with raw materials (e.g. sugar, tobacco and cotton) that they could sell to the Europeans. Europeans used these raw materials to process manufactured goods. And, so, the cycle begins again.
Middle Passage
the term for the voyage between Africa and the Americas
The Transatlantic Slave trade began with the Portuguese as early as the 15th century. Spain and Portugal had already been enslaving indigenous peoples in the Americas for labor, but they came to realize that they needed a new source of labor. This is for several reasons, but disease played the largest role, as it could wipe out entire populations of indigenous peoples susceptible to foreign-brought disease. Europeans believed that African labor would be better because Africans were less susceptible to disease, accustomed to the tropics, experienced with agriculture, and less likely to escape because of their unfamiliarity with the land. And, so, Portugal and Spain turned to Africa, where the slave trade had existed for centuries.
The African Slave Trade
In African society, slavery was not uncommon, and there were multiples reasons why and individual might become enslaved. For example, criminal offenses or debts could land one in slavery. In debt bondage, an individual paid off their debt through unpaid labor. Additionally, powerful kingdoms and tribes were able to conquer neighboring societies and enslave portions of their populations.
However, slavery in Africa was very different than the chattel slavery practiced in the Americas. The most important difference is that in the Americas, slaveholders considered enslaved persons property. Additionally, slavery in the Americas was almost always permanent and heritable, whereas slavery in Africa was rarely permanent or heritable.
The Transatlantic Slave Trade proved extremely profitable to Europeans, as they were able to control the entire trade network. After Portugal and Spain established the Transatlantic Slave Trade, other European powers such as the British, French and Dutch quickly became involved. Proponents of mercantilism, European powers worked to ensure their exports exceeded their imports, so that they maximized their profit. They often got into conflict with other countries over who controlled certain trade routes. It was in the 17th and 18th centuries that the slave trade really peaked.
In the early 19th century, the Transatlantic Slave Trade began to fall apart. The British had abolished the slave trade in 1807 and America quickly followed suit just one year later in 1808. However, the trade continued in other parts of the Americas, such as the Caribbean and Brazil, and its continued existence contributed to the formation of a thriving black market. By the late 19th century, however, slavery had become illegal across the Americas and the black market fell apart.
The first route in the Transatlantic Slave Trade went from the interior of Africa to West African port cities. In order to keep up with the increased demand for slaves, African traders went deep into Africa, where they conquered tribes in order to enslave them. The overland journey back was treacherous and often hundreds of miles long. Chained together, the enslaved Africans faced death before they even reached the coast. Once there, traders held them in castle-like prisons, awaiting dehumanizing auctions.
European powers worked to pit African societies against each other, knowing that the winning society would enslave members of the conquered society–which could then be sold to European traders. European guns certainly helped in this process.
The Middle Passage is infamous for the horrific conditions Africans faced on their journey. They spent their days and nights chained below the deck in extremely cramped conditions. Without ventilation, the heat was unbearable, and disease spread rapidly. Many died of starvation and disease. Others took their own lives or died in failed revolts. Physical and sexual abuse were both common. Any care they received was due to the crew’s desires to make them presentable for auction. Olaudah Equiano described the experience in his autobiography:
I was soon put down under the decks, and here I received such a salutation in my nostrils as I had never experienced in my life: so that, with the loathsomeness of the stench, and crying together, I became so sick and low that I was not able to eat, nor had I the least desire to taste anything.” - Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, 17891
After several months at sea, European ships carrying enslaved Africans arrived at port cities in the Americas. Once again, they had to endure slave auctions that involved dehumanizing inspections before slaveholders bought them as if they were property.
The majority of enslaved Africans went to Brazil and the Caribbean.
Millions of Africans lost their lives while traveling along the Transatlantic Slave Trade routes. And those that survived were subject to a life of slavery in the Americas, as were generations of their descendants. It was the largest forced migration to have occurred in history and the most significant cause of the African diaspora, as millions of Africans ended up across the Atlantic in the Americas. It is important to understand that the Africans brought to the Americas did not share a unified culture–they were from a variety of societies with their own languages and cultures. This diversity contributed to the rich culture of African Americans.
The Transatlantic Slave Trade started in the 15th century.
The Transatlantic Slave Trade was the portion of the Triangular Trade, controlled by Europeans, that brought enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas.
European powers, including Portugal, Spain, and England, participated in the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
The main effect of the Transatlantic Slave Trade was the oppression of generations of African-Americans.
Three causes of the Transatlantic Slave Trade were the desire for unpaid labor, the failure of indigenous slave labor, and the attractiveness of African slave labor.
What trade system was the Middle Passage a part of?
The Triangular Trade
Where were the great majority of slaves taken in the Americas?
Brazil
When did the Middle Passage come into use?
14th century
What did Africans receive in exchange for bringing slaves to the coast?
finished goods
What is not true of conditions on slave ships?
poor ventilation
Most revolts were successful because slaves outnumbered the crew.
False
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