"The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas."
The forced transport of millions of Africans to the Americas to work as slaves in colonies and plantations throughout the New World.
African kingdoms and societies: This topic explores the social, economic, and political structures of African societies prior to the arrival of Europeans.
European exploration and expansion: This topic covers the motives, methods, and impact of European exploration and expansion in Africa and the Americas.
European slave trade: This topic delves into the history of European involvement in the slave trade, including the establishment of transatlantic slave trade routes and the role of European powers in slavery.
African slave trade: This topic examines the history of slavery in Africa, including the forms of slavery that existed prior to the arrival of Europeans and the role of African rulers in the slave trade.
the Middle Passage: This topic covers the horrific journey of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic, including the conditions onboard slave ships and the impact of the Middle Passage on enslaved Africans.
Plantations and the economy of the New World: This topic explores the role of plantations in the New World, including the use of enslaved labor, and the economic systems that were established around them.
The impact of the slave trade on Africa: This topic examines the impact of the transatlantic slave trade on Africa, including the loss of population, culture, and economic resources.
Resistance to slavery and abolitionism: This topic covers the history of resistance to slavery, including slave revolts, abolitionism, and the end of the transatlantic slave trade.
Legacy of slavery: This topic explores the lasting impact of slavery on society, including the social, economic, and political ramifications of slavery and the ways in which it continues to shape modern society.
Post-colonialism and imperialism: This topic examines the legacy of colonialism and imperialism, including the ways in which former colonies continue to grapple with the impact of these histories today.
Direct chattel slavery: This is the most well-known form of slavery, where people were treated as property and could be bought and sold. African slaves were directly captured and transported to the Americas to work on plantations, mines, and other labor-intensive industries.
Indentured servitude: This form of slavery involved European immigrants who were in debt to ship captains or merchants and were forced to work for a period of years to pay off their debts. While not as extreme as direct chattel slavery, it still involved a loss of freedom and exploitation.
Debt bondage: Similar to indentured servitude, people were forced to work to pay off a debt that they or their families owed. However, in this case, the debt was often increased by the owner, meaning the individual could never truly be free.
Forced labor: In some cases, individuals were kidnapped or impressed into service as part of a public works program. While not strictly limited to the Atlantic slave trade, it was still a form of forced labor.
Child slavery: This form of slavery involved the enslavement of children who were either taken from their parents or sold by their families. Children were often used as domestic servants and were subjected to abuse and mistreatment, sometimes resulting in death.
Sexual slavery: Women and sometimes men were forced into sexual slavery, where they were raped, beaten, and subjected to other forms of sexual violence.
Military slavery: Military conquest often led to the enslavement of captured soldiers who were then used as laborers or sold into slavery.
Islamic slavery: Islamic conquerors often enslaved the populations of the lands they conquered and forced them into various forms of slavery.
"The vast majority of those who were transported in the transatlantic slave trade were people from Central and West Africa who had been sold by West African slave traders to mainly Portuguese, British, Spanish, Dutch, and French slave traders."
"Others had been captured directly by the slave traders in coastal raids."
"The outfitted European slave ships of the slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Passage."
"The transatlantic slave trade existed from the 16th to the 19th centuries."
"European slave traders generally did not participate in the raids because life expectancy for Europeans in sub-Saharan Africa was less than one year."
"The colonial South Atlantic and Caribbean economies were particularly dependent on labor for the production of sugarcane and other commodities."
"The Portuguese, in the 16th century, were the first to buy slaves from West African slavers and transport them across the Atlantic."
"As property, the people were considered merchandise or units of labor, and were sold at markets with other goods and services."
"The major Atlantic slave trading nations, in order of trade volume, were Portugal, Britain, Spain, France, the Netherlands, the United States, and Denmark."
"These slaves were managed by a factor, who was established on or near the coast to expedite the shipping of slaves to the New World. Slaves were imprisoned in a factory while awaiting shipment."
"Current estimates are that about 12 million to 12.8 million Africans were shipped across the Atlantic over a span of 400 years."
"The passage had a high death rate with approximately 1.2–2.4 million dying during the voyage."
"Near the beginning of the 19th century, various governments acted to ban the trade, although illegal smuggling still occurred."
"In the early 21st century, several governments issued apologies for the transatlantic slave trade."