1. The Slave Trade
Social Studies for 10th E.G.B.
Teacher: Mauricio Torres

2. Europeans and Africans
 European encounters with Africa
had occurred for hundreds of years.
Yet the European explorers who
arrived in the 1400s brought great
and unforeseen changes to Africa’s
peoples and cultures.

3. Portugal Gains Footholds
 Portuguese searched for a direct route to Asia
 They wanted to bypass the “middlemen” and trade directly with the source.
 They began establishing ports and forts throughout West Africa, as supply outposts for
their long expeditions. They were also trading posts.
 They left enough men and firepower to defend the forts and not to colonize.

4. African Coastline
 They sailed on through the coastline, reaching East African cities such as:
Mombasa and Malindi.
 With the use of force, they expelled the Arabs that controlled Eastern
Africa’s trade networks.
 Over the next couple of centuries, they established limited trade through
the coast and the interior.
 They didn’t have enough resources or knowledge of Central Africa
 Africans in the interior resisted such exploration.

5. The Slave Trade
 Slavery has existed since ancient
times (Romans, Greeks, Persians,
Aztecs, Egyptians, etc).
 Slavery was: cheap labor.
 Slaves were taken to the Americas to
work on plantations.
 For the next 300 years the slave trade
grew into a profitable business.
 Slaves were the most important
“resource” that Africa provided.

6. Selling their own
 Europeans seldom ventured into Africa’s
interior.
 African rulers and traders seized captives
from the interior.
 The captives were exchanged for
textiles, metalwork, rum, tobacco, weapons
and gunpowder.

7. Defending their own
 Some African leaders tried to slow down
or stop the transatlantic slave trade. The
system was just too strong.
 King Affonso I, of Kongo raised his voice
against the slave trade.
 He had been tortured by Portuguese
missionaries.
 When he became a king in 1505, he asked
the Portuguese to help him develop his
country.
 Only slave traders answered.

8. Immediate Consequences on African Soil
 During the 1600s and
1700s, the loss of countless
young men and women
resulted in some small states
disappearing forever.
 As a new “resource”, slavery
led to new powerful states
to rise:
 The Asante Kingdom
(present-day Ghana).
 The Oyo Empire (present-day
Nigeria).

9. Ask Yourself
 Describe:
 How the Portuguese established footholds on Africa’s
coasts and why.
 Analyze:
 How European actions affected the salve trade.
 Evaluate:
 What was the cause for small states to decline and
some other to rise?

10. Homework
 Scan newspapers or online sources for articles about turbulence or
economic difficulties in Africa.
 Have these issues stemmed from events that occurred during the age of
European exploration?
 Cut/print the article and write a small report expressing your opinion and
answer the question above.

11. Bibliography
 Ellis, E. G., & Esler, A. (2009). World History. (P. Hall, Ed.) Upper Saddle
River, New Jersey, US: Pearson Education INC.
 Images taken from Google.com