Which places are involved in the slave trade triangle, what roles do each place take?

The journey start in Europe. European, especially Spain and Britain, load their ship with manufactured goods; clothes, weapon, furniture and other European-made product. They sail from Europe to West Africa, in places like Senegal and the Gold Coast, and they start trading. Slaves usually are captured by rival African group and are traded with European's product. From Africa, the ship filled with slaves are sailed to America.

Once the ship arrived in America, generally in places like Virginia, Cuba and Jamaica, slaves were unloaded from the ship and sold the American for good amount of money. Slaves are forced to work for the American on a Plantation.

Finally crops, planted and harvested by the slave, such as sugars, tobaccos and cottons are loaded on a ship and travel to Europe. These crops are sold to the European, and the Triangle of trade continue.

How did the Slave Trade Triangle start.

The Slave Trade Triangle began in the 15th century, after the Portuguese started exploring the coast of West Africa. At first the number of Slave trade was small. In about 1650, however, with the development of plantations on the newly colonised Caribbean islands and American mainland, slave trade get a lot bigger.

The majority of slaves taken were from the states on or near the west coast of Africa. The growing demand for slaves from Europe meant that the African suppliers increased their activities. Chiefs and traders met the demand through warfare or by raids on small towns and villages.

Why do Africa take part in the Slave Trade Triangle?

If African people is taken to be forced to work hard on a plantation, why do African allowed this to happen?

African people don't want to be captured, and none of the slave is willing to be a slave. European traders captured some Africans in raids along the coast, but bought most of them from local African or African-European dealers. These dealers had a sophisticated network of trading alliances collecting groups of African to sell to European.

Most of the Africans who were enslaved were captured in battles or were kidnapped, though some were sold into slavery for debt or as punishment. In return, the dealer get manufactured product, such as weapons, from the European.

Source 2:"The shrieks of the Women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the Whole a Scene of horror almost inconceivable."

-Olaudah Equiano 1789

A quote from a former slave, Olaudah Equiano. This quote show how horrible slaves were treated. It suggest as well how unfair and cruel slavery is.

What is the condition like in the Middle Passage?

The Middle Passage is a the journey, in the Slave Trade Triangle, from Africa to America. African slaves are crowded on the ship and they travel to America, to be sold to American.

For Africans, traveling in the middle passage was an unpleasant journey. The condition were very poor. Africans were crowded beneath the deck with not so much room to move, not so much air to breathe and poor sanitation. People were packed so close that they could not get to the toilet buckets, and so lay in their own filth. Seasickness, heat and lack of air all contributed to the terrible smell.

These conditions encouraged disease such as scurvy, diarrhea or fever. The voyage usually took six to eight weeks, but bad weather could increase this to 13 weeks or more.

How are slaves treated in the Middle Passage?

On the ship during the Middle Passage. The slaves were packed below the deck. Two type of packing include:

1.Loose Packing - Provided for fewer slaves per ship in the hopes that a greater percentage of the cargo would arrive alive.

2.Tight Packing - Ship were filled with slave, just a little space for them to move. The captains believed that more slaves, despite higher chance of them not surviving for the whole journey, would yield a greater profit for them.

On the ship, slave were usually treated as product by the European. Slaves were fed twice per day. They were provided with poor sanitation and almost no health care. Slave punishment and torture was very common, as on the voyage the crew had to turn independent people into obedient slaves. Slaves resisted in a variety of ways. The two most common types of resistance were refusal to eat and suicide.

Question 1: What do you think the slaves are feeling on the ship during the Middle Passage?

Question 2: Name the two type of packing in the ship on the Middle Passage?

Question 3: What are carried on the ship from America to Europe in the Slave Trade Triangle?

Task: Using a Flow map. Make a sequence of what happen in the Slave Trade Triangle in chronological order.

Bibliography: http://study.com/academy/lesson/triangular-trade-route-system-role-in-slavery.html

http://www.discoveringbristol.org.uk/slavery/people-involved/enslaved-people/enslaved-africans/transatlantic-slave-trade/

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ism/slavery/africa/capture_sale.aspx

http://discoveringbristol.org.uk/slavery/routes/from-africa-to-america/atlantic-crossing/middle-passage/

http://www.ushistory.org/us/6b.asp

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Passage

By: Pimarnpol Siriwongwanngarm, Khaowpan. Y.8/4