Causes & Process
The demand for labor in the Americas due to cash crops like sugar and tobacco.
What was one reason Europeans began the Transatlantic Slave Trade?
The horrific journey enslaved Africans took from Africa to the Americas.
What was the Middle Passage?
A prominent scholar and civil rights leader who commented on the Atlantic slave trade.
Who was W.E.B. Du Bois?
By staging revolts.
What is one way enslaved people resisted their conditions during the Middle Passage?
By shaping social structures and racial dynamics in the Americas.
What lasting effects did the Transatlantic Slave Trade have on society?
West Central Africa, also known as Kongo and Angola.
Which region in Africa was heavily involved in supplying enslaved people?
About 5%
What percentage of enslaved Africans were transported to what is now the United States?
His experiences as an enslaved person in his autobiography.
What did Olaudah Equiano write about?
Torture to keep captives submissive.
What was a common form of punishment used by sailors on slave ships?
It led to the establishment of a hereditary form (being passed down from one generation to another) of slavery.
How did the slave trade affect the population of enslaved Africans in the Americas?
They traded goods like textiles, iron, and firearms for enslaved people.
How did European nations initially trade with Africa before the slave trade?
They were tightly packed, chained, and often had to relieve themselves in the same space.
What conditions did enslaved Africans endure on slave ships?
A historian who noted that two-thirds of enslaved Africans were trafficked between 1700 and 1808.
Who is Marcus Rediker and what did he note about the slave trade?
As a form of resistance against their captivity.
Why did some enslaved people refuse to eat during the journey?
They provided essential labor for cash crops like sugar and tobacco.
What role did enslaved people play in the economic development of the Americas?
Many enslaved individuals were prisoners of war or captured during conflicts.
What role did warfare play in the Transatlantic Slave Trade?
Approximately 2 million Africans died during the journey.
How many were estimated to have died during the Middle Passage?
He referred to it as “the most magnificent drama in the last thousand years of human history,” highlighting its tragedy.
What was one of Du Bois's key observations about the Transatlantic Slave Trade?
It was an attempt to reclaim agency and humanity in a dehumanizing situation.
What was the significance of resistance among enslaved Africans?
It highlights historical injustices that continue to impact society today.
How did the Transatlantic Slave Trade contribute to modern discussions on race and equity?
Europe sent goods to Africa, Africa sent enslaved people to the Americas, and the Americas sent goods back to Europe.
How did the triangular trade route function?
He felt fear and confusion and described being handled by the crew to check if he was sound.
How did Olaudah Equiano describe his experience on the ship?
These colonizers from Europe became the most dominant slave traders from the African continent to the New World.
Who were the Portuguese?
It raised awareness about the brutality of slavery and inspired future abolition movements.
What was one impact of the resistance efforts of enslaved Africans?
It allows for acknowledgment of suffering and informs current discussions on race and equality.
In what ways does understanding the Transatlantic Slave Trade help us confront past injustices?