Atlantic Slave Trade

Definition

The Atlantic slave trade was a centuries-long system of forced labor and human trafficking that transported millions of Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. It was a central component of the global economy during the colonial era, linking West Africa, Europe, and the New World through the exchange of enslaved people, commodities, and ideas.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Atlantic slave trade began in the 15th century and lasted for over 400 years, with an estimated 12-15 million Africans forcibly transported to the Americas.
2. West Africa, particularly the region from present-day Senegal to Angola, was the primary source of enslaved Africans, who were captured and sold to European slave traders.
3. The transatlantic slave trade was a key driver of the growth of plantation economies in the Americas, with enslaved Africans providing labor for the production of cash crops like sugar, tobacco, and cotton.
4. The Middle Passage, the journey across the Atlantic, was notoriously brutal, with high mortality rates due to disease, malnutrition, and violence aboard the slave ships.
5. The abolition of the Atlantic slave trade in the 19th century did not immediately end slavery in the Americas, as the practice continued illegally and was not fully abolished until the late 19th century.

Review Questions

• Describe the role of West Africa in the Atlantic slave trade and the impact on the region.
  • West Africa, particularly the region from present-day Senegal to Angola, was the primary source of enslaved Africans for the Atlantic slave trade. Millions of Africans were forcibly captured and sold to European slave traders, disrupting local economies, social structures, and communities. The Atlantic slave trade had a devastating impact on West Africa, leading to population decline, the breakdown of traditional political and social systems, and the erosion of cultural practices.
• Explain how the Atlantic slave trade was connected to the growth of plantation economies in the Americas.
  • The transatlantic slave trade was a key driver of the growth of plantation economies in the Americas. Enslaved Africans provided the labor necessary for the large-scale production of cash crops like sugar, tobacco, and cotton, which were in high demand in Europe. The profits generated by these plantation economies fueled the expansion of colonial empires and the global economy, making the Atlantic slave trade a central component of the Columbian Exchange and the economic transformation of the New World.
• Analyze the long-term impact of the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade on the Americas and Africa.
  • The abolition of the Atlantic slave trade in the 19th century did not immediately end slavery in the Americas, as the practice continued illegally and was not fully abolished until the late 19th century. The legacy of the Atlantic slave trade, however, continued to shape the social, economic, and political dynamics of both the Americas and Africa long after its official end. In the Americas, the end of the slave trade led to the gradual transition to other forms of labor, such as indentured servitude and sharecropping, while in Africa, the disruption of traditional social and political structures had lasting consequences for the continent's development and its relationship with the rest of the world.

Related terms

Transatlantic Slave Trade: The transatlantic slave trade refers to the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas.

Triangular Trade: The triangular trade was a trading pattern that connected Europe, Africa, and the Americas, with the exchange of goods, people, and wealth.

Middle Passage: The Middle Passage was the stage of the Atlantic slave trade in which enslaved Africans were transported to the American colonies.