Atlantic Slave Trade - 1772 Words

The origins of the Atlantic Slave Trade were products of Western Europe’s expansion of power that began at the beginning of the 1500’s through the 1900‘s. The main contributing European countries to the Atlantic Slave Trade were Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, France, and England. Portugal lead the movement during the 1400’s and arrived in Western Africa in hopes to find Christian allies to spread Christianity against the Muslims of Northern Africa. But they soon became more interested in trade (Hine, Hine Harrold, 2011). Slavery, however, has existed in all cultures for thousands of years. For example, Arab merchants and West African Kings imported white European slaves. At first, the slave trade focused on women and children who†¦show more content†¦Many times, especially during storms, the slavers neglected to feed the slaves or change the tubs and buckets used for toilets, as well removing dead bodies (Hine, Hine Harrold, 2011). Sanitation was also a major contributor to death and disease. Only about three or four toilet tubs were provided for all of the slaves. Mortality rates were exceptionally high on the ships, averaging around 15%. Overall, about one third of all slaves died during the whole process of moving them from Africa to the Americas. The main causes of mortality on the ships were diseases such as small pox, malaria, dysentery, yellow fever and measles (Hine, Hine Harrold, 2011). There was however still rebellions from the captive slaves aboard the ships. Rebellions usually occurred when the ship was getting ready to set sail or when they ships were still within sight of the Africa land mass, when there was still hope for the slaves to return home. Often times slaves would actually starve themselves intentionally or try to jump off the ship to drown. But to combat this, the slavers would sometimes put nets on the side of the ship to stop jumpers and to deal with those who would refuse to eat, the slavers would use hot coals to force individual’s mouths open to eat (Hine, Hine Harrold, 2011). The women aboard the slave ships were treated very badly as well. They were often raped and sexually abused. Many times, all of the women were kept in separate rooms to make it easier forShow MoreRelatedEffects Of The Atlantic Slave Trade967 Words   |  4 Pagesbeen a crime. The effects of The Atlantic Slave Trade still lingers in today’s culture. It was one of the vast developments that help shape the course of history as the World knows it. Ultimately there is no way to justify who is responsible. Europeans and Africans should be held equally accountable for the destruction of the African population. The Ottoman Empire took control over Constantinople in 1453. When doing so they put an end to the supply of Slavic slaves. Before the 15th century southernRead MoreEssay on The Atlantic Slave Trade921 Words   |  4 PagesThe Atlantic Slave Trade The changes in African life during the slave trade era form an important element in the economic and technological development of Africa. Although the Atlantic slave trade had a negative effect on both the economy and technology, it is important to understand that slavery was not a new concept to Africa. In fact, internal slavery existed in Africa for many years. Slaves included war captives, the kidnapped, adulterers, and other criminals and outcasts. HoweverRead MoreThe Decline Of The Atlantic Slave Trade2406 Words   |  10 PagesThe Atlantic Slave Trade took place subsequently to the breakthrough discovery of the New World, also acknowledged today as North and South America. The Trade established a global exchange or Triangular trade between the Americas, Europe and Africa. The exchange between the Old and New world occurred to satisfy the enormous European demands for African labor on the plantations and for the colonization across the newly uncovered land. Prior to the Atl antic Slave Trade, Slavery had stood alive andRead MoreThe Atlantic Slave Trade1392 Words   |  6 PagesThe Atlantic Slave Trade was a system of slavery that took place between the 16th and 19th centuries. It comprised of capturing African tribesmen and women from areas of Western and Central Africa and placing them into the colonies of the New World in North, Central, and South America. Many countries like England, Portugal, Spain, Holland, and France, had participated in enslaving the African peoples. The African slaves were used to exploit an array of commodities such coffee, cotton, rum, sugarRead MoreThe Trans Atlantic Slave Trade2824 Words   |  12 PagesProblem For nearly five centuries – from the 15th century at the onset of the trans-Atlantic slave trade up to the 1950s when African states began to win the struggle for independence, Africa was exploited as a continent. The natural as well as the human resources were taken with no returns. This great pillage led to a complete halt of trade in Africa. Trade implies an exchange, yet the human resources were taken as slaves and the former colonial masters took the natural and mineral resources withoutRead MoreEffects Of The Atlantic Slave Trade On Africa1516 Words   |  7 PagesEffects of the Atlantic Slave Trade on Africa The Atlantic slave trade existed from the 16th to the early 19th century and stimulated trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Over 12 million Africans were captured and sold into chattel slavery off the coast of West Africa, and more than 2 million of them died crossing the Atlantic. These outcomes of the slave trade are rarely disputed among historians; the effect of the Atlantic slave trade in Africa, however, is often a topic of debate.Read MoreEssay on Trans Atlantic Slave Trade1105 Words   |  5 PagesMarch 7, 2006 Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Slavery originated from Africa after the Bantu migrations spread agricultural to all parts of the continent. Africans would buy slaves to enlarge their families and have more power. Also, they would buy slaves in order to sell them to make a profit. It then spread out from Africa to Portugal and was said, it is estimated that during the four and a half centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Portugal was responsible for transportingRead MoreThe Trade Of The Atlantic Slave Trade3341 Words   |  14 Pages2014 The Atlantic Slave Trade took place from the 16th century to the 19th century. Most of the slaves were taken from West Africa, but the trade also affected other parts of the continent. By the end of the trade, it became the biggest human migration to date. Generally, we know a lot about the effects slavery had in the New World, but we have less information on how the slave trade affected African societies. Although there were no scholars which contested the harm the slave trade caused, howeverRead MoreThe Journey Across The Atlantic Slave Trade1937 Words   |  8 Pagesof recreational fun. I was dreading having to read it. But I can say that after studying this narrative, it has opened my eyes about early slavery and especially the Atlantic slave trade. In the self-written life story The Interesting Narrative of Oladah Equiano, we get a close up look at what slavery and the Atlantic slave trade were actually like for those sold into slavery. I believe this book has great histo rical significance when it comes to studying slavery during the late 1700s for manyRead MoreThe Atlantic Slave Trade Movement870 Words   |  4 PagesThe Atlantic Slave trade helped many African Americans transport across the Atlantic Ocean. Many slaves went through different experiences as they migrated from the Atlantic Ocean to America. Slavery and Slave Trade occurred in variety of cultures for over thousand of years. In West Africa, slave trade was much more common. It involved majority women and children that became servants only in Asia and North Africa. By the time Spain joined Portugal, the Atlantic slave trade expanded a there was