slave trades

• A trade in African men, women, and children which lasted from the mid 1500s until the 1860s.
• Most Black African people were taken by European traders from West and Central Africa and from Angola.
• Around 12.5 million Black African people were put onto slave ships.
• About 11 million survived the Middle Passage and were forced to work in the Americas, for example on plantations.
• Most Black African people were taken by the Portuguese, Brazilians, the British, French, and Dutch.
• British slave traders alone transported 3.5 million Black Africans to the Americas.
• This is the first artwork, from Blombos cave, in South Africa.

  
• This is the great pyramids in Ancient Egypyt.

  
• This is a concentration camp to hold Boers (Dutch people who lived in South Africa) and native Africans.

  
• African history is rich and complicated, but has not been focused on by many people until recently.
• Africa is a continent, made up of 54 countries. It is 3 times bigger than the US.
• Humans first evolved in East Africa about 2.5 million years ago
• The earliest known recorded history is from Ancient Egypt, in the North of Africa, which existed from 3100BCE
• North African history became linked with the Middle East and Southern Europe largely through trading
• From the mid-7th century, the Arab slave trade enslaved African people
• During the Middle Ages, Islam spread west from Arabia to Egypt
• Notable states and societies in Africa in the Middle Ages included:

  • Mali Empire
  • Songhai Empire
  • Benin Empire
  • Kingdom of Zimbabwe
  • Kingdom of Kongo
• Before Europe joined the slave trade, Africa had up to 10,000 different states and groups with their own languages and customs
• From the late 15th century, Europeans joined the slave trade
• From around 1870, European countries colonised Africa in the 'Scramble for Africa'
• By 1914, 90% of Africa was controlled by Europe
• Fights for independence and weakened Europe after WW2 led to decolonisation, concluding in the 1960 'Year of Africa'
• People believed that there was more than one race. This is incorrect. There is only one race, the human race.
• People believed that the ‘white race’ was more developed than the ‘black race’.
• ‘The black race’ was also less civilised so it was acceptable for white people to enslave Black people.
• Some people said it was ‘for their own good‘, as Black people needed to be controlled and be taught by white people.
• Some people also said that women of any race were less developed than men.
• People mis-used parts of the Bible to justify slavery.
• Noah's son, Ham, was cursed to be 'a servant of servants'.
• People said that Ham was Black and therefore enslaving Black Africans was acceptable in the Bible.
• We use the word "seize", instead of "capture", because capture is usually used to describe capturing animals. During the Transatlantic Slave Trade (TST), Black African people were often treated as if they were animals. It is important that we try not to use words that link enslaved people to animals.
• Black African people did not simply 'give in' to slavery.
• They had to be seized and many fought hard to stay in their homes.
• Sometimes European people went to Africa to seize Black African people themselves, but often African people sold other African people into slavery.
• African people would sell other African people into slavery for many reasons, e.g. as a punishment, to make money.
• African people are diverse. They are not one big group who are all friends.
• This is also not a justification for the Europeans to seize people, or for the slave trade in general.
• The book, "Black and British: a forgotten history", by David Olusoga, focuses on British enslavement of African people - but it fits our topic because Britain ruled America until 1783 and slavery began in America under British rule (it continued after America became independent).
• The Middle Passage was the journey by ship from West Africa to the Americas.
• The journey usually took between 6 and 11 weeks.