Atlantic Slave Trade - effects on africa

2. LEARNING INTENTIONS
• Describe the different ways that Africa was affected
by the Slave Trade
• Describe how some Africans benefitted from the trade

3. There are numerous ways that Africa was affected by the slave
trade, many of which continue to hurt Africa today.

4. A lower population
The large numbers of Africans
who were kidnapped
significantly reduced Africa’s
population.
It is estimated that by 1850
Africa’s would population would
have been 50 million instead of
25 million.

5. Loss of fit workers
The bulk of Africans
kidnapped to be slaves
were young and fit
(usually men).
This left less people to
work and grow crops in
Africa, spreading poverty.

6. Poorer health
As Africans were moved
across the continent, it meant
that diseases spread too.
Also because there was less
food due to young, fit workers
being kidnapped, people were
more likely to fall ill.

7. Families split up
The slave trade caused
families to be split up as
Africans were taken away
from their homelands.
This meant some parents
would never again see their
children.

8. Where people lived
As the slave factories were
found on the African coast,
this led many Africans to
move inland.
This often meant Africans lost
their jobs if they had worked
as fishermen.

9. Violence and war
The fact that many slaves were
prisoners of war led to more
fights between different African
societies.
Groups moving also led to
further war and disputes over
access to land and water.

10. Transport changed
In order to move large
numbers of slaves, transport
networks were set up.
This led to clearer connections
between inland Africa and the
coast, which made non-slave
trading easier too.

11. Wealth for some Africans
Some Africans greatly
benefitted from the slave
trade.
Many African kings and chiefs
became very rich by selling
slaves, and benefitted from
access to European goods.

12. Power and weapons
By selling Africans, some
African societies gained guns
from the Europeans, making
them more powerful.
This helped them win future
wars, and build their own
empires within Africa.

13. Languages changed
The slave trade also helped
changed languages in Africa.
As more Africans mixed, their
dialects influenced each other.
European languages were
mixed in too.
Swahili is a good example.

14. The seeds of modern day
poverty in Africa are
found in the slave trade.
Many of the farming and
war problems in various
African countries can be
traced back to the
Atlantic Slave Trade.