The African Slave Trade

Beginnings
The African slave trade is believed to have started
in 1441 when a ship sailing for Prince Henry of
Portugal returned with 12 African for sale into
slavery.
The slave trade would continue for the next 400
years and involved 12 to 15 million Africans.
Portugal, Spain, France, Great Britain, the
Netherlands, and the United States would all profit
from the trade.

 Slavery had existed since ancient times. The

Greeks, Romans, and other ancient societies had

practiced slavery.
The African Slavery was different in 3 important
ways.
1. It involved many more people than before
2. Slaves were treated much harsher than before
3. Unlike before, Race and racism will be the
major factor in determining who would be a slave

Capture
The journey into slavery started when people were
captured by rival tribes in the interior of Africa
Many African tribes depended on slavery in order
to buy European goods

 Once captured, the people would be forced to

marched to west coast of Africa
Sometimes the forced march could be as long as 500
miles and take up to 8 months to reach the coast

 If a captive became sick or injured during the march,

they would be left behind to die a sure death

Slave Castles
Upon arrival at the coast, captives would be lock in
a dungeon beneath one of fifty castles
constructed by Europeans along the coast until
shipment to America

Slave Factories
Often the people would be sold by the castle to a
factory.
They would be worked until a slave ship arrived.
Then the factory would sell them to the ships
captain

 At the Slave Factory

people would often be
branded to show
ownership

The Middle Passage

After purchase, Africans

would be chained to each

other and placed below deck
They would remained
chained below deck for
most of the eight weeks it
took to make to voyage to
America
There were two ways of
loading the slave ships:
Tight Pack and Loose
Pack

Tight Pack
Africans were loaded
using every available
space on the ship
As many as 1000
people would be
chained below deck
Picture on the bottom
shows a Tight Pack

Loose Pack
Europeans also gave the Africans more space
under the Loose Pack
It was done so more people could survive the
voyage and be sold into slavery in the Americas
Picture on top shows the loose Pack

Nightmare
Conditions in the slave hold was terrible!
It was poorly ventilated, hot, humid, infested
with filth and diseases
Africans would be chained in the hold for most
of the day
The average time to cross the Atlantic was 8
weeks

Death
Death on the Middle Passage was common
20% of the Africans would not survive the
voyage
Most died of disease but cruel treatment,
mutinies, and suicides were also factors in
the alarming death rate

 Africans, sick with disease, were often thrown

overboard at the first symptom signs

Dancing on the Middle

Passage
Sometimes Africans would be brought on the top
deck for fresh air, a salt water bath, and exercise.
Europeans called the exercise Dancing the
slaves

Mutiny!
There are over 300 documented incidents where
Africans tried to win their freedom by
overpowering their captors
Most mutinies took place within the sight of land
and were unsuccessful

Slave Auctions
Those Africans who survived the Middle Passage
were offered for sale into slavery at a slave auction.
Charleston, Savannah, and New Orleans were the
main action places

Slavery Images

End of the Nightmare

In 1807 Great Britain was the first nation to

make the African slave trade illegal

The United States outlawed the trade in
1808. African continued to be smuggled
into the U.S. until 1862
The last Middle Passage voyage took place
in 1888 when a Portuguese slave ship sailed
to Brazil

Thirteenth Amendment
The United States finally abolished the institution
of slavery in 1865 with the ratification of the 13th
Amendment to the Constitution

P. S.
John Newton who is the author of the famous
gospel hymn Amazing Grace was a captain of a
slave ship for the Royal African Company until he
found religion
He was ordained a minister and spent his later
years working to outlaw the slave trade

Amazing Grace
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.