slave trade

• The treatment of enslaved people could be very harsh. Enslaved people were seen as the property of the owner to do with as he wished. Enslaved people could be killed or raped without consequence.
• Enslaved people were whipped and had to live in horrible conditions and were mistreated and not cared for. Life was especially horrible for women as they were very mistreated and taken advantage of by the plantation owners. The slaves were even beheaded if they tried to rebel or they might go into isolation.
• Plantations were large areas of land and could produce exports like tobacco and cotton.
• Housing on the plantations

  • Enslaved people lived in small cottages with thatched roofs, earth floors, a bed table and bench
• White masters had complete control over the lives of 'their' enslaved people, who had no rights. Enslaved people who disobeyed or resisted were violently punished - in Antigua it was not a crime to kill an enslaved person until 1723.
• Punishments given to enslaved people

  • Captured 'runaways' could be hanged or maimed
  • Enslaved people were often flogged with a whip
  • The number of lashes depended upon their 'crime'
• How people benefited from the slave trade

  • Factory owners could sell more goods as people grew richer
  • Government could increase taxes on products made through slavery
  • Banks gained money by offering loans to people who wanted to move to the Caribbean to start plantations
  • Ports like Liverpool and Bristol grew in size dramatically
  • Royals invested money to increase their own wealth
  • Universities received donations from the slave traders
• Different types of slavery


  • Child slavery
  • Forced prostitution
  • Penal labour
  • Human trafficking
  • Chattel slavery
• The Middle Passage


  • Slave ships usually took between six and eleven weeks to complete the voyage
  • Two methods of loading the ship: tight pack (packing as many as possible) and loose pack (fewer enslaved people loaded)
• Enslaved people were chained and movement was restricted. They were unable to go to the toilet and had to lie in their own filth. Sickness quickly spread.
• African people were often unable to digest the food carried by the European crew, making the sickness worse. Many weakened quickly and died. Enslaved people who became sick were often denied food and left to die.
• The crew's treatment of enslaved people was often horrific – women could be subject to rape. Enslaved people were sometimes forced to dance on deck for an hour a day to keep them fit. Any resistance was dealt with harshly by floggings from the crew.
• Some enslaved people chose to take their own lives, sometimes by throwing themselves overboard, rather than endure such brutal treatment.
• It is estimated that 15–16 per cent of enslaved people died on the Middle Passage.
• The first leg of the journey is from Europe to Africa, transporting manufactured goods. The third leg is from America to Europe, exporting tobacco, sugar, rice, and some surviving slaves.
• Slaves arrived starving, bruised, injured, traumatised, sleep deprived, and with extremely poor mental health. Auctioneers would wash and clean up the slaves to make them more presentable and appealing to the plantation owners, and they were also branded with a hot iron.
• There were two types of slave auctions: sold to the highest bidder and grab and go.
• Abolitionists, including politicians, ex-slaves, and religious groups, united and rose up against the slave movement.
• Slavery affected cities like London and Bath by supplying factory-made goods in exchange for enslaved people, allowing people to grow rich with large plantations, and building docks to import sugar and slaves. This allowed for better infrastructure and population growth.
• How slaves resisted their treatment

  • Suicide
  • Murder
  • Desertion
  • Revolt
• Enslaved people on the plantations fought for their freedom by using passive resistance (working slowly) or running away. Most West Indian islands passed laws to deal with this and other forms of resistance.
• The British Empire brought Britain wealth, power and influence, but for the colonised people, it brought violence, disease and famine.
• Britain's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade was extensive and profitable. The profits generated from the sale of enslaved Africans contributed to the growth of industries and the expansion of the British Empire.
• The treatment of enslaved Africans during the Middle Passage was dehumanizing and cruel. Many suffered and died due to harsh conditions, lack of food and water, and physical abuse.
• Other European powers, as well as African kingdoms and tribes, were also involved in the slave trade. Not all British citizens supported or benefited from the slave trade, and the abolitionist movement gained momentum in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.