The Transatlantic Slave Trade

By abbygedmonds
  • 1542

    New Laws of 1542

    When the Spanish colonized the Americas, they employed Native Americans into slavery. Many Spaniard colonists would force these Natives in unbearable conditions to do strenuous work. This was soon met with laws that limited and regulated using Natives as slaves in the colonies. Because of these new laws, Spaniard colonists were looking elsewhere for slave labor. This ultimately led to looking towards Africa for slaves, and it played a key role in the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade.

  • Africans come to Jamestown

    Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas and it had a dependence on tobacco. In order to deal with tobacco farming, in 1619 about 20 African men and women were brought to Jamestown on Portuguese ships. They began as indentured servants, working for their freedom, but eventually, they just became slaves. Due to this extra help, profits in Jamestown surged and slavery picked up throughout the rest of the English colonies.

  • France becomes involved in the Triangle Trade

    The triangle trade is a three-way trade between the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Africa would send slaves across the middle passage to the Americas. The Americas would use these slaves to work on plantations and produce raw materials such as sugar cane, wood, and cotton to Europe. And finally, Europe would use these raw materials to manufacture products like rum, which they would send to Africa. France became a part of the trade and began to reap its economic benefits during this time.

  • Royal African Company

    The Royal African Company was founded by England's Stuart family as a trading company. After the slave trade began to boom in the Americas, England wanted to monopolize its opportunities. The Royal African Company was the only trading company with access between English trading with Africa, thus dealing with not only slaves but gold and silver too. During this time, the Royal African Company brought over an abundance of slaves to the Americas and also furthered England's profit in the trade.

  • Maroon Wars

    Maroons are Africans or of African descent who escaped slavery and settled in the Carribean islands. In the beginning of the 18th century, Jamacia's maroon communities began to clash with English settlers. These wars were brutal as the maroons employed guerilla warfare, taking the English by surprise. Ultimately the wars ended with the maroons being able to continue their freedom. However, the English required the free maroons to turn in any runaway slaves, they come across.

  • Somerset Case

    After James Somerset escaped his slave master and was caught, he met a man named Granville Sharp who advocated for abolition. Sharp helped Somerset with his case, developing an argument against his slavery conditions. Somerset ultimately won the court case and became a free man. This was a monumental court case, yet it was misinterpreted by other blacks as an abolishment of slavery, but this was not the case. However, this was a huge step towards that point and definitely showed promise.

  • Society for Abolition of Slave Trade

    The Society for Abolition of Slave Trade was an abolitionist group in England assembled by twelve men in a London printing shop. The society dedicated their time to educate the public of the dangers and mistreatment of the slave trade. They hoped to establish a law abolishing the trade, and also establishing a place in West Africa where Africans can live without the fear of being taken in the slave trade. Ultimately, this group was very influential in the abolition process.

  • Haitian Revolution

    The transatlantic slave trade delivered an abundance of slaves to the island of Haiti, owned by France. In Haiti much of the slaves were treated extremely poorly and face horrific working and living conditions. In response to this, the slaves in Haiti rose up and caused a revolution that would last for thirteen years. The revolution resulted in the overthrow of the French government in Haiti. Haiti established the first ever black government in the western hemisphere and got rid of slavery.

  • British Abolishment of Transatlantic Trade

    Finally, in 1807, the British Parliament set a law that called for the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. This came in response to the many social calls for its abolishment by groups such as the Society for Abolition. This was also a response to the increase in resistance that slave owners faced with the constant slave uprisings and revolutions. Britain stated that it was illegal to sell, buy, or trade slaves under the new laws, yet if you previously owned the slaves it was allowed.

  • Adoption of Coolie Labor

    After the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade by the British Parliament, colonists were faced with a lack of laborers and needed help. Because of this, they began to resort to Asian laborers. This quickly became known as coolie labor, a derogatory term for unskilled laborers from Asia would make little wages. Many of these laborers would come to the Americas voluntary negotiation, so at their own will. Yet the conditions they faced were harsh and brutal for the small pay they received.