Transatlantic Slave Trade
Definition
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.
Analogy
Think of it like a horrific conveyor belt that moved people instead of products. Just as a factory might use a conveyor belt to move items from one place to another, the Transatlantic Slave Trade moved people against their will across an ocean.
Related terms
Middle Passage: This term refers specifically to the leg of the triangular trade route where enslaved Africans were transported across the Atlantic Ocean under brutal conditions.
Atlantic Trade Network: A broad term for all commerce conducted over the Atlantic Ocean between Europe, Africa, and America. It included not only slave trade but also goods such as sugar, tobacco, and raw materials.
Triangular Trade: This is a specific pattern within the Atlantic Trade Network involving three ports or regions. Goods would be shipped from Europe to Africa in exchange for slaves; these slaves would then be transported via Middle Passage to America (the second leg), and finally American goods would be shipped back to Europe (the third leg).
"Transatlantic Slave Trade" appears in:
Study guides (2)
Practice Questions (20+)
- Which European nation played a prominent role in the transatlantic slave trade?
- What was the main economic motive behind the transatlantic slave trade?
- What was the primary destination for enslaved Africans during the transatlantic slave trade?
- Who was instrumental in implementing policies leading to Britain’s domination of the transatlantic slave trade by late seventeenth century?
- Which European country was the first to start the Transatlantic slave trade?
- Which European country first initiated the transatlantic slave trade in the 15th century?
- Which African region did most of the slaves transported during Transatlantic Slave Trade come from?
- Which economic system primarily drove the transatlantic slave trade during the colonial period?
- Which was the first European country to engage in the Transatlantic slave trade?
- How did the transatlantic slave trade affect population distribution in the New World?
- Which European country first initiated the transatlantic slave trade?
- How did the transatlantic slave trade impact population distribution across continents?
- What role did the Industrial Revolution play in intensifying the transatlantic slave trade?
- Which event had the most significant impact on the abolition of the Transatlantic slave trade in Europe?
- Which European power was the last to abolish the Transatlantic slave trade?
- Which development primarily led to the expansion of the transatlantic slave trade during the European Age of Exploration?
- What was the transatlantic slave trade a major part of?
- What year marked the beginning of the Transatlantic slave trade from Africa to Europe and Americas?
- Which European nation pioneered the transatlantic slave trade in the 15th Century?
- What was an immediate effect of the Transatlantic slave trade on West African societies?
Resources
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