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African Slaves

Definition

African slaves were individuals taken from sub-Saharan Africa between 15th to 19th centuries during Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade who were forced into slavery by European powers primarily in their colonies in Americas.

Analogy

Imagine you're playing a game of chess but some pieces are forcefully removed from your side before you even start playing. That's what happened with African societies when millions of people were taken away as slaves - they lost valuable human resources which affected their development.

Related terms

Middle Passage: The part of trade where Africans were densely packed onto ships to be transported across Atlantic Ocean into slavery.

Triangular Trade: A multilateral system of trading during colonial times where countries would trade goods with each other across three ports or regions - typically involved trading slaves, crops and manufactured goods.

Colonialism: The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically. Slavery was a major part of colonial economies.