Atlantic Slave Trade Flashcards
(22 cards)
What is a slave?
An enslaved person is someone who is experiencing something that is forced upon them. It is not something chosen voluntarily
What years did the slave trade occur in?
1750-1901
What was the main causes of the slave trade?
The Industrial Revolution, Imperialism (colonisation)
Where were the Africans shipped to?
The Americas
What was the purpose of the slave trade?
To provide a labour force in British and European colonies in the Americas
What did the Americas want?
Slaves
What did the UK want?
Sugar, cotton, rum, tobacco, and coffee
What did Africa want?
Cloth, pots, pans, horses, alcohol and guns
What was the ratio of time above deck to below?
1:2 (8 hours to 16 hours)
What were the slaves forced to do on board?
Dance for entertainment of sailors and exercise
What were the slaves forced to lie in?
Their own urine and excrement
What was the food and drink like?
Minimum food (rice and peas) and limited access to fresh water
How did many slaves rebel?
Attempted escape, try to end their misery by jumping overboard, and refuse to eat
What were the punishments for rebellious slaves?
Hands and then heads cut off with severed body parts being passed to other slaves as a warning, whipping, restraints, chains, a mask that had three metal prongs around the neck so he couldn’t lie down if he managed escape
What happened after landing in the Americas?
Paraded like animals and then inspected by buyers
What would buyers look at?
The inside of mouths, feel muscles, and comment on their ability to be bred for more slaves
Where did they work doing what and where did they live?
On plantations and farms (cotton, sugar, tobacco fields)
In houses, and tented to animals and veggie patches
Lived in simple huts
What did the owners give them?
New names (went by their owner’s surname)
Education of reading and writing (for the owner’s benefit)
What did some buyers never do when buying/selling slaves?
Separate families
Would some be freed?
Yes
At retirement age
What happened to inventions that slaves made?
All the credit went to the owner and they patented them
