Slavery

Everyone was involved

The Slave Trade

Who

French English Portuguese Dutch Spanish Arabs Various African Nations

In the 1400’s the Portuguese started to become more ambitious and decided not just to capture slaves but to sell them to those who could afford them. They had successfully worked around the Trans-Saharan slave trade having navigated the west coast of African.

Atlantic Slave Trade

The Atrocities Begin

1550 - 1850

How many

A conservative estimate of 15,000,000 landed. However, some estimates are as high as 50,000,000 and some even higher.

The mortality rate varied from voyage to voyage and year to year. The rates ranged from 5% to 34%.

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/slavery/slave-ship_Picture1.jpg

Slave Acquisition

The slaves were captured at first; later on Africans would “sell” other Africans to the Europeans.

Africa to the Americas

The Transportation

The difference is that instead of coming up the coast of Africa to Europe ships now made voyages to the New World which were much more dangerous and costly. The name Transatlantic Slave trade means that slaves were transported across the Atlantic.

Slave Ship

– Slaves were transported from Africa to Europe at first. When America was "encountered" it quite naturally became the next place where slavery would flourish.

Packed In Human Cargo

Life on the Ship

Life below deck was harrowing, uncertain and bleak.

Trade Routes

Trading was profitable

IndenturedServitude Before slavery was

fully established in the colonies blacks and whites were indentured servants.

Sold Like Cattle

Slaves were auctioned off to the highest bidder. The slaves in the best “physical” condition fared a handsome price.

Owned as Property

Slaves were often branded to denote property.

A Change

This picture designed by Josiah Wedgwood (c. 1790) was the symbol of the abolitionists.