2. The Atlantic Slave Trade
About 10,000,000
slaves were brought
to the Americas in a
300 year period from
1500-1800.
They were brought
first by Spanish and
Portuguese, then
later by the British,
Dutch, and French.
3. Triangular Trade and
the Middle Passage
Raw materials
went to Europe.
Europeans took
manufactured
goods to
Africa.
Then they
picked up
loads of slaves
for their journey
to the
Americas. This
leg is known as
the Middle
Passage.
*The three legs of the regular trade routes formed a triangle.
4. Slave Ship
“Cargo” in the
Middle Passage
“The stench of the hold while
we were on the coast was so
intolerably loathsome, that it
was dangerous to remain there
for any time, and some of us
had been permitted to stay on
the deck for the fresh air; but
now that the whole ship’s cargo
were confined together, it
became absolutely pestilential.
The closeness of the place, and
the heat of the climate, added
to the number in the ship, which
was so crowded that each had
scarcely room to turn
himself, almost suffocated us.”
Olaudah
Equiano Recalls
the Middle
Passage
1789
5. Slavery in the Colonies
Slavery had existed in
some form or fashion
even in ancient times,
usually taken by the
victors in battle or
repaying a debt.
In earlier societies,
there were often ways
for slaves to return to a
more normal life at
some point, but as
slavery took hold in the
Americas, it eventually
became a life
sentence.
6. Slavery Takes Root
Why?
The Plantation
system profited from
it.
Indentured servants
were temporary.
Conditions in
England had
improved to the
point that fewer
people would need
to be indentured
servants here.
7. Enslaved for Life (By Law)
1639-Maryland
Becoming a Christian
did not guarantee
becoming free.
1663-Virginia
Any child of a
slave was a
slave.
*Hyperlink
added to
picture
8. Resistance to Slavery
Several revolts broke out,
which caused
slaveholding colonies
to enact slave codes:
Restricted movement
Disallowed gun
ownership
Murderers of slaves
not charged
Made it difficult for a
slave to escape and
survive
9. African Cultural Influences
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/sl
avery/experience/living/
Slave life varied because of geographic area and the size of the farm.
Generally, on a smaller farm, the owner might work alongside a slave; but
on a large plantation, slaves were not around many whites, thus keeping
their own culture intact. Slave descendants in coastal South Carolina who
speak Gullah are a good example of this. They also created beautiful crafts
and music which have lingered even today.
