Enslaved Africans

Definition

Enslaved Africans were individuals captured in various regions of Africa who were forcibly taken into slavery by European traders and transported primarily via the transatlantic slave trade routes.

Analogy

Imagine being an actor forced into playing a role you never auditioned for; that's what happened with these individuals. They didn't choose this life but were thrust into it without any say or choice.

Related terms

African Diaspora: Refers to communities throughout the world that have resulted by descent from movement in historic times of peoples from Africa predominantly towards Americas and Europe due them being sold as slaves.

Plantation System: A large-scale agricultural operation where enslaved Africans were forced to work on cultivating cash crops such as tobacco, cotton, and sugar.

Abolition: The movement to end slavery. This was a global human rights movement that sought to free enslaved Africans and abolish the institution of slavery.