African Slave Trade

African Slave Trade

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade began around the mid-fifteenth century when Portuguese interests in Africa moved away from the fabled deposits of gold to a much more readily available commodity, which were slaves. By the seventeenth century, the trade was in full swing, reaching a peak towards the end of the eighteenth century. It was a trade, which was especially fruitful, since every stage of the journey could be profitable for merchants-- the infamous triangular trade, also called the Atlantic Circuit. The circuit was the heat of the trading system. Different European countries fought over slave supply regularly. Slave trade began because European empires in the New World lacked a workforce for their newly discovered cash crops. Apparently Africans were the most reliable since they had experience in agriculture and keeping cattle, as well as being used to a tropical climate, resistant to tropical diseases, and could be “worked hard” on plantations.” The article refers the slave trade as “the door of no return,” set at Cape Coast castle. Since … (slaves went)”directly into slave ships, never to set foot in their homelands again.” It is referred to as history’s greatest crimes.

Merchants made slaves walk in caravans to European coastal forts, sometimes far as 1000 miles, while being shackled and underfed. During these “death marches,” only half the people survived, while others were killed or left to die. Those who reached the coastal forts were put into underground dungeons where they would stay -- sometimes for as long as a year -- until they were boarded on ships. The Middle Passage was just as bad for slaves as the death marches. The first leg, from Europe to Africa, carried European manufactures and cotton textiles. On the first leg of their trip, slave traders delivered goods from European ports to West African ones. These goods were traded for West African gold, ivory, timber, etc., and were used to purchase slaves. During the...