The Atlantic Slave Trade

1. THE SLAVE TRADE
PLANTATION SYSTEM
PRESENTER: ARDITH CONWAY

2. THE SLAVE TRADE
Trade had existed between the Europeans and the Africans before colonialism.
“AN AFRICAN ONLY BECAME A SLAVE WHEN HE REACHED A SOCIETY WHERE HE WORKED AS A SLAVE.”
-WALTER RODNEY.

3. START WITH WHY

4. WHY?
• Europeans recognized the potential of the Americas in tropical
produce.
• Plantations systems needed a vast amount of labor.
• The indigenous Indian population died and Europe did not
possess the required labor force.
• Africans were accustomed to settled agriculture and disciplined
labor.

5. WHY?
• Europeans recognized the potential of the Americas in tropical
produce.
• Plantations systems needed a vast amount of labor.
• The indigenous Indian population died and Europe did not
possess the required labor force.
• Africans were accustomed to settled agriculture and disciplined
labor.

6. HOW?
• In some cases, the Europeans raided African villages in Western Africa.
• Mostly, Europeans exchanged manufactured goods for slaves from the
Africans themselves.
• African rulers found European goods desirable enough to hand over
captives from war as well as their own subjects.
• Obtaining slaves in order to trade to Europeans became an economic
activity.

7. WHAT?
• Triangular trade usually evolves when a region has export
commodities that are not required in the region.
• The Triangular trade is a trade model, not an exact description of
the ship's route.
• It consisted of three parts.

8. TRIANGULAR TRADE: PART 1
• The first part of the triangle was from a European port to Africa, in
which ships carried manufactured goods.
• Typical cargo included copper, cloth, guns and ammunition.
• When the ship arrived, its cargo would be sold or traded for slaves.

9. TRIANGULAR TRADE: PART 2
• In the second part, ships made the journey of the Middle Passage from Africa to
the New World.
• Many slaves died due to the harsh conditions on board.
• Once the ship reached the New World, enslaved survivors were sold in the
Caribbean or the American colonies.

10. TRIANGULAR TRADE: PART 3
• In the third part, ships were then loaded with export goods for a
return voyage to their home port.
• Goods were mostly agricultural products produced by slaves.
• Export cargoes included sugar, rum, molasses, tobacco and hemp.
• The ship’s arrival in Europe, where the demand originated,
marked the completion of the triangle.

11. THE TRIANGULAR TRADE MODEL

12. CONSEQUENCES: ON EUROPEANS
• Walter Rodney asserted that the industrial revolution was at least
in part funded by agricultural profits from the Americas.
• Eric Williams suggested that the increase of consumption goods
called forth by that trade inevitably drew in its train the
development of the productive power of the country.
• By exploiting Africa there were able to make developments in
commercial banks, shipping, the steam engine and even simple
things such as piano keys.

13. FOR EXAMPLE:

14. CONSEQUENCES: ON AFRICANS
• Africa helped to develop Western Europe in the same proportion
as Western Europe helped to under develop Africa.
• Slaving prevented the remaining population from effectively
engaging in agriculture and industry, and it employed
professional slave hunters and warriors to destroy rather than
build.
• African economic activity was affected both directly and
indirectly by population loss.

15. CONSEQUENCES: ON AFRICANS

16. LAWS THAT GOVERN SLAVE TRADE
The movement of slaves from Africa to the European colonies or to the mother land
was controlled by European laws.
• The navigation acts from Great Britian
• The Code Noir (the black code) from France

17. REFERENCES
• METHODS OF TRANSPORTATION THROUGH THE CENTURIES. (2017). PREZI.COM. RETRIEVED 11
OCTOBER 2017, FROM
HTTPS://PREZI.COM/PSLTNQMJDJAF/METHODS-OF-TRANSPORTATION-THROUGH-THE-CENTU
RIES/
• NAVIGATION ACTS ***. (2017). LANDOFTHEBRAVE.INFO. RETRIEVED 11 OCTOBER 2017, FROM
HTTPS://WWW.LANDOFTHEBRAVE.INFO/NAVIGATION-ACTS.HTM
• RODNEY, W. (1973). HOW EUROPE UNDERDEVELOPED AFRICA. LONDON, U.K.: BOGLE-L’
OUVERTURE PUBLICATIONS.
• CLARKE, J. H. (1992). CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS AND THE AFRIKAN HOLOCAUST: SLAVERY AND
RISE OF THE EUROPEAN CAPITALISM. NEW YORK, U.S.A: A &B BOOKS.

18. THE END
QUESTIONS PLEASE