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1.9 The Slave Trade

3 min readjanuary 14, 2023

Jillian Holbrook

Jillian Holbrook

Jillian Holbrook

Jillian Holbrook

Development of the Slave Trade

As European countries expanded overseas, the increased exponentially. There was a shortage of Native American laborers due to conflict and disease; additionally, working on in the Americas declined. An increased and unmet demand for plantation workers meant that more slaves had to be imported.

Africans who were sold into slavery had been enslaved by their captors during internal conflicts in Africa. In exchange for like guns, pottery, and food, Africans would trade their captured slaves to European slave traders to be sold off in the Americas. In other words, some Africans began to sell their own people for these and for protection.

The first slaves arrived in North America in 1619, but slaves had been sold in the and long before this. There was always a high demand for laborers on as well as for , , and .

Due to the extreme living and working conditions they were subjected to, African slaves had a higher mortality rate in the Americas. This led to more and more slaves being imported from Africa to continuously sustain the need for a large workforce.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-yKH5oxXw6rN3.jpg?alt=media&token=c4dd6b60-3783-43af-a9ae-839672fcf0a4

Image Courtesy of Britannica

Triangular Trade

Between 1500-1800, an estimated 12 million African Americans were forcibly brought to North and South America during the slave trade. The  was the system of buying, selling, and transporting African people to the Americas and other parts of the world as slaves. It was a major part of the , known as the , which also included the trade of goods such as sugar, tobacco, tea, rifles, and other products.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-VLxHC91L5iwu.png?alt=media&token=eabcfb30-ef2a-4b29-a4ad-e1ea361208b5

The Triangular Trade; Image Courtesy of the Smithsonian Learning Lab

The Middle Passage

The voyage from Africa to the Americas, known as the , was one of the most deadly and brutal aspects of the slave trade. Slaves were kept chained in the steerage in extremely close quarters, given little food, and subject to a variety of diseases on the ships. If they survived, their lives on the were harsh as well. The practice of “seasoning” slaves was common; slaves were trained in new skills, given new names, and learned the basics of the English language to show they were no longer free.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-x2fOomDlSQjt.jpg?alt=media&token=909555fe-dfd4-4c47-ad19-ba8c614cd204

Image Courtesy of Middle Passage Weebly

Slaves were seen as property and, in effect, had no legal rights; they could be bought, sold, traded, or inherited. Masters were permitted to whip their slaves, many slaves were not allowed to gather in large groups, and were not recognized by law. Moreover, slaves were often subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, and separation from their families.

Europeans imposed their culture and beliefs on those they conquered. They converted their slaves to Christianity, preaching that they should accept lives in bondage under their masters.

The slave trade continued until the 1800s, with England ending the slave trade in 1807. However, slavery continued in the United States and South America until the late 1800s. The United States ended slavery in the South during the Civil War in 1863, and ended slavery in 1888. The repercussions of the slave trade and the racism that stemmed from it continue to be seen today.

🎥 Watch: AP European History - Age of Exploration

Key Terms to Review (21)

African Slave Trade

: The African Slave Trade was a horrific period in history when millions of Africans were forcibly taken from their homes by European traders and sold into slavery primarily in North America, South America, and the Caribbean Islands.

Atlantic Trade Network

: The Atlantic Trade Network was an extensive maritime trading system that connected four continents - Europe, Africa, North America, and South America - during roughly 1500-1800 AD.

Brazil

: Brazil is the largest country in South America, known for its diverse culture and geography. In the context of AP European History, it's significant due to its colonization by Portugal in the 16th century.

Brazil's End of Slavery 1888

: This refers to Lei Áurea ("Golden Law") signed by Princess Isabel on May 13, 1888, which abolished slavery in Brazil, the last country in the Western world to do so.

Christianity Conversion

: This refers to when individuals or groups change their religious beliefs to Christianity. In the context of European history, this often occurred as a result of missionary work and colonization.

Coffee Farming

: Coffee farming refers to the cultivation of coffee plants, usually in a plantation setting. This process involves planting, nurturing, harvesting the beans, and preparing them for consumption.

Development of the Slave Trade

: The development of the slave trade refers to the historical process that led to the establishment and expansion of a system where people, particularly from Africa, were captured, sold, and forced into slavery by European powers.

England's End of Slave Trade 1807

: This refers to the abolition of the slave trade by the British Parliament in 1807. It made it illegal to buy, sell, or transport slaves in the British Empire.

Finished Goods

: Products that have completed all stages of production and are ready for sale to customers.

Gold Mining

: Gold mining is the process by which gold is extracted from the earth. It involves several methods such as panning, sluicing, dredging or hard rock mining depending on where it's found.

Indentured Servants

: Indentured servants were individuals who voluntarily agreed to work for a certain number of years in exchange for passage to the New World, or for food and shelter once they arrived.

Middle Passage

: The Middle Passage refers to the second leg of the triangular trade route where enslaved Africans were transported across the Atlantic Ocean to be sold in the Americas. Conditions during this journey were notoriously brutal.

Plantations

: Large-scale agricultural enterprises where enslaved Africans were forced to work, especially in the Americas. They primarily produced crops like sugar, tobacco, and cotton.

Seasoning Slaves

: This was a period of adjustment that slave traders and owners believed African slaves needed to go through in the Americas. It involved breaking their will, teaching them basic English phrases, and acclimating them to the harsh realities of plantation life.

Slave Marriages

: These were unions between enslaved men and women that were not legally recognized. They could be easily broken up by sale or death since slaves were considered property rather than legal persons.

Sugar Plantations

: Large-scale farms in the New World, particularly in the Caribbean and Brazil during the 16th to 19th centuries, where sugar cane was grown and processed primarily for export.

Tobacco Farming

: The cultivation of tobacco plants for use primarily in cigarette production but also cigars and other products containing nicotine.

Transatlantic Slave Trade

: The Transatlantic Slave Trade was a mass human trafficking system where approximately 12-15 million Africans were forcibly transported to the Americas and the Caribbean from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

Triangular Trade

: Triangular trade was a system during 16th-19th centuries where goods were traded among three regions: Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Typically, manufactured goods from Europe were sent to Africa in exchange for slaves, who were then sent to the Americas. The Americas would send raw materials back to Europe.

United States' End of Slavery 1863

: This refers to President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 during the Civil War, which declared all slaves in Confederate-held territory free (though it didn't fully end slavery until later).

West Indies

: A region in the North Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea which includes thirteen independent countries and seventeen dependent territories. It was historically significant due to European colonialism and the slave trade.

1.9 The Slave Trade

3 min readjanuary 14, 2023

Jillian Holbrook

Jillian Holbrook

Jillian Holbrook

Jillian Holbrook

Development of the Slave Trade

As European countries expanded overseas, the increased exponentially. There was a shortage of Native American laborers due to conflict and disease; additionally, working on in the Americas declined. An increased and unmet demand for plantation workers meant that more slaves had to be imported.

Africans who were sold into slavery had been enslaved by their captors during internal conflicts in Africa. In exchange for like guns, pottery, and food, Africans would trade their captured slaves to European slave traders to be sold off in the Americas. In other words, some Africans began to sell their own people for these and for protection.

The first slaves arrived in North America in 1619, but slaves had been sold in the and long before this. There was always a high demand for laborers on as well as for , , and .

Due to the extreme living and working conditions they were subjected to, African slaves had a higher mortality rate in the Americas. This led to more and more slaves being imported from Africa to continuously sustain the need for a large workforce.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-yKH5oxXw6rN3.jpg?alt=media&token=c4dd6b60-3783-43af-a9ae-839672fcf0a4

Image Courtesy of Britannica

Triangular Trade

Between 1500-1800, an estimated 12 million African Americans were forcibly brought to North and South America during the slave trade. The  was the system of buying, selling, and transporting African people to the Americas and other parts of the world as slaves. It was a major part of the , known as the , which also included the trade of goods such as sugar, tobacco, tea, rifles, and other products.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-VLxHC91L5iwu.png?alt=media&token=eabcfb30-ef2a-4b29-a4ad-e1ea361208b5

The Triangular Trade; Image Courtesy of the Smithsonian Learning Lab

The Middle Passage

The voyage from Africa to the Americas, known as the , was one of the most deadly and brutal aspects of the slave trade. Slaves were kept chained in the steerage in extremely close quarters, given little food, and subject to a variety of diseases on the ships. If they survived, their lives on the were harsh as well. The practice of “seasoning” slaves was common; slaves were trained in new skills, given new names, and learned the basics of the English language to show they were no longer free.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-x2fOomDlSQjt.jpg?alt=media&token=909555fe-dfd4-4c47-ad19-ba8c614cd204

Image Courtesy of Middle Passage Weebly

Slaves were seen as property and, in effect, had no legal rights; they could be bought, sold, traded, or inherited. Masters were permitted to whip their slaves, many slaves were not allowed to gather in large groups, and were not recognized by law. Moreover, slaves were often subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, and separation from their families.

Europeans imposed their culture and beliefs on those they conquered. They converted their slaves to Christianity, preaching that they should accept lives in bondage under their masters.

The slave trade continued until the 1800s, with England ending the slave trade in 1807. However, slavery continued in the United States and South America until the late 1800s. The United States ended slavery in the South during the Civil War in 1863, and ended slavery in 1888. The repercussions of the slave trade and the racism that stemmed from it continue to be seen today.

🎥 Watch: AP European History - Age of Exploration

Key Terms to Review (21)

African Slave Trade

: The African Slave Trade was a horrific period in history when millions of Africans were forcibly taken from their homes by European traders and sold into slavery primarily in North America, South America, and the Caribbean Islands.

Atlantic Trade Network

: The Atlantic Trade Network was an extensive maritime trading system that connected four continents - Europe, Africa, North America, and South America - during roughly 1500-1800 AD.

Brazil

: Brazil is the largest country in South America, known for its diverse culture and geography. In the context of AP European History, it's significant due to its colonization by Portugal in the 16th century.

Brazil's End of Slavery 1888

: This refers to Lei Áurea ("Golden Law") signed by Princess Isabel on May 13, 1888, which abolished slavery in Brazil, the last country in the Western world to do so.

Christianity Conversion

: This refers to when individuals or groups change their religious beliefs to Christianity. In the context of European history, this often occurred as a result of missionary work and colonization.

Coffee Farming

: Coffee farming refers to the cultivation of coffee plants, usually in a plantation setting. This process involves planting, nurturing, harvesting the beans, and preparing them for consumption.

Development of the Slave Trade

: The development of the slave trade refers to the historical process that led to the establishment and expansion of a system where people, particularly from Africa, were captured, sold, and forced into slavery by European powers.

England's End of Slave Trade 1807

: This refers to the abolition of the slave trade by the British Parliament in 1807. It made it illegal to buy, sell, or transport slaves in the British Empire.

Finished Goods

: Products that have completed all stages of production and are ready for sale to customers.

Gold Mining

: Gold mining is the process by which gold is extracted from the earth. It involves several methods such as panning, sluicing, dredging or hard rock mining depending on where it's found.

Indentured Servants

: Indentured servants were individuals who voluntarily agreed to work for a certain number of years in exchange for passage to the New World, or for food and shelter once they arrived.

Middle Passage

: The Middle Passage refers to the second leg of the triangular trade route where enslaved Africans were transported across the Atlantic Ocean to be sold in the Americas. Conditions during this journey were notoriously brutal.

Plantations

: Large-scale agricultural enterprises where enslaved Africans were forced to work, especially in the Americas. They primarily produced crops like sugar, tobacco, and cotton.

Seasoning Slaves

: This was a period of adjustment that slave traders and owners believed African slaves needed to go through in the Americas. It involved breaking their will, teaching them basic English phrases, and acclimating them to the harsh realities of plantation life.

Slave Marriages

: These were unions between enslaved men and women that were not legally recognized. They could be easily broken up by sale or death since slaves were considered property rather than legal persons.

Sugar Plantations

: Large-scale farms in the New World, particularly in the Caribbean and Brazil during the 16th to 19th centuries, where sugar cane was grown and processed primarily for export.

Tobacco Farming

: The cultivation of tobacco plants for use primarily in cigarette production but also cigars and other products containing nicotine.

Transatlantic Slave Trade

: The Transatlantic Slave Trade was a mass human trafficking system where approximately 12-15 million Africans were forcibly transported to the Americas and the Caribbean from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

Triangular Trade

: Triangular trade was a system during 16th-19th centuries where goods were traded among three regions: Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Typically, manufactured goods from Europe were sent to Africa in exchange for slaves, who were then sent to the Americas. The Americas would send raw materials back to Europe.

United States' End of Slavery 1863

: This refers to President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 during the Civil War, which declared all slaves in Confederate-held territory free (though it didn't fully end slavery until later).

West Indies

: A region in the North Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea which includes thirteen independent countries and seventeen dependent territories. It was historically significant due to European colonialism and the slave trade.


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© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.