Transatlantic Slave Trade

Liberties Lost- Hilary McD Beckles
& Verene .A. Shepherd
(2004). Liberties Lost. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.


Honychurch, L. (2006). The Caribbean People. United Kingdom:
Nelson Thornes Limited.

Caribbean Revision History For CXC
Peter Ashdown
Francis Humphreys
(1988) Macmillan Publishers Limited
John Gilmore,Beryl.M.Allen, Dian McCallum, Romila Ramdeen.
(2006). Empires and Conquests.
Jamaica: Carlong Publishers.(pages 79-80)

Caribbean Slavery in the Atlantic World: A Student Reader
Joseph E. Inikori " The slave trade and the Atlantic economies 1451-1870"
(1979) UNESCO The United Nations


John Gilmore,Beryl.M.Allen, Dian McCallum, Romila Ramdee
(2006). Empires and Conquests.
Jamaica: Carlong Publishers.(page 81)





Liberties Lost- Hilary McD Beckles
& Verene .A. Shepherd

Centre Number: 160185Registration No.: 1601851730Centre Number: 160185Registration No.: 16018517302014African SlaveryThe Triangular Trade (Black Triangle) in the 18th century.CASSIA SOBERSSCARBOROUGH SECONDARY SCHOOL2014African SlaveryThe Triangular Trade (Black Triangle) in the 18th century.CASSIA SOBERSSCARBOROUGH SECONDARY SCHOOL

Centre Number: 160185
Registration No.: 1601851730
Centre Number: 160185
Registration No.: 1601851730

2014
African Slavery
The Triangular Trade (Black Triangle) in the 18th century.
CASSIA SOBERS
SCARBOROUGH SECONDARY SCHOOL

2014
African Slavery
The Triangular Trade (Black Triangle) in the 18th century.
CASSIA SOBERS
SCARBOROUGH SECONDARY SCHOOL
INTRODUCTION
The Transatlantic Slave Trade was an inhumane business; it was set around deception, cruelty and greed. The business was organized by the highest and mightiest from all over Europe making it impossible to interfere and join without proper authorisation. The business itself stood as symbol of marginalization and countries built themselves from the reputation and profits made. It was astonishing to know a trade so gruesome could prove to be so profitable.
The profound organization of the Triangular Trade allowed it to generate millions of profits year round.












RATIONALERATIONALE
RATIONALE
RATIONALE

The Transatlantic Slave trade symbolised the social marginalisation which had occurred between Africa and Europe. It also displayed how humans can become animalistic over trivial things such as dominance and money. However although the business was extremely 'sinful' the church justified its necessity and accepted it. The trade consequently became the most profitable business in that era.
Therefore I was compelled to investigate aspects of the Triangular Trade that had aided in its unusual success and earned it so many profits and caused so much disparage among some of the greatest countries in the 18th century.











Research questionResearch question
Research question
Research question

How was the Atlantic Triangular Trade organised in the 18th Century to obtain maximum profits for European slavers?

















ESSAYESSAY
ESSAY
ESSAY
The procedures that occur before and after the Transatlantic Trade are what make the so called 'Black Triangle' is what really makes the business as unacceptable as it stands today.
Scholars have identified six separate stages of the Middle Passage, these are:
Capture and enslavement in Africa
Journey to the coast and other departure points
Storage and packing for shipment
Transatlantic crossing (Middle Passage)
Sale and distribution in the Americas
Adjustments in the Americas





Capture and enslavement in Africa
To begin the Trade the Africans were captured inland by the natives which would mean the African slaves were betrayed.
European enslavers would hire African agents who knew the lands well and would be able to easily hide and manoeuvre themselves in order to capture and kidnap Africans. This would ensure that capture was swift accurate and with minimal unaccounted mishaps. It is horrifying to know that they would use the kin of the victims to bring them to their own detriment. The agents would then sort and transport the enslaved to the barracoons for storage. One such case was Ottobah Cugoano. In about 1760 he was kidnapped and taken to the island of Grenada, he was later freed and taken to England where he wrote a book on his life. Ottobah was captured while playing with friends in the forest and a group of Africans appeared accusing them of trespassing.
"They said we had committed a fault against their lord, and we must go and answer to it ourselves before him," Wrote Ottobah.
The children tried to escape but were threatened with pistols and cutlasses. They were moved around and ultimately separated; Ottobah was exchanged three times before arriving at coast. He was herded with other slaves, locked together in a 'coffle', a line linked with yokes and chains around the enslaved necks to prevent escape. The next morning Ottobah was exchanged for a gun, a piece of fabric, lead and then they left him in the hands of the white men. It was the first time Ottobah saw white men and crying bitterly he was placed in the barracoons for three days before being taken to the Cape Coast and placed aboard a ship bound for Grenada.
Only certain types of Africans were often chosen according to the European preference for instance the Spanish company Compaña Gaditana bought Wolofs and Mandingos from Seme - Gambia this was so because as the Spanish, they stated in 1770 that they thought them to be diligent, intelligent and multilingual. Young and strong Males were preferred rather than women and elderly people. Therefore only these sort of Africans were captured to be presented to the Spanish to ensure sales and profit.
Though the slaves have reached the coast they are often stored in one of the many forts owned by their slavers. They would be packed into the fort like the prisoners they have inadvertently become, shackled and distraught they would be placed in the dungeon. The dungeons would be fashioned to keep prisoners from escaping to prevent unnecessary losses; advertently the forts were made like 'Old World Alcatraz' and it is in these conditions they would remain for months in order to secure them until the ships arrive to take them to the New World. One such Fort was Fort Christiansburg, owned and operated by the Dutch.
Transatlantic crossing (Middle Passage)
Upon the arrival of ships, the bought slaves were sorted and packed upon the appropriate ship according to their buyers. Aboard each ship according to the captain's preference there were two economic ways to pack slaves. They were Tight Packing and Loose Packing. Tight Packing saved on space allowing them to take on a substantial amount of Africans although it would have a large cargo at the initial stages of the Tight Packing the shipment would often dwindle throughout the voyage due to the rapid spread of diseases. The diseases did not only spread because of the unhygienic surroundings, but because of the close proximity in which the slaves lay, the viruses and bacteria did not even have to try hard but simply leap a couple inches in a sneeze to reach their next victim much less rubbing against each other. In this way during their malnutrition state due to the ration they are given to consume, diseases such as Small Pox spread like wild fire. The diseases would consume the victims quickly forcing the ship's crew to discard of large portions of their 'cargo' overboard in a feeble attempt to prevent further spread. On the other hand Loose Packing allowed a minimal amount of excess space and therefore less Africans were able to hold to be sold. However it allowed the slaves breathing space which enabled them to escape the spread of diseases throughout the voyage and allowed them to take in more oxygen to generate more energy to survive the ordeal, which in turn allowed a lot of slaves to survive consequently a larger cargo arrival in the New World. But this still could not stop the dwindle in disease.
In order to save money in the transportation of slaves across the Atlantic the slavers would ration what the slaves were given to eat to enable it to last longer. Though they would have lived with little to eat the slavers never stop to think if the meal held enough nutrients for their bodies to survive. However some slaves due to depression refused to eat willing themselves to die. For instance Olaudah Equiano, a boy from what is now known as Nigeria who was about eleven when he was placed on a slave ship, he had survived and became free to later write a book on his struggles. In his book he recounts his first reactions upon entering a slave ship:
"I received such a salutation in my nostrils as I had never experience in my life; so that with the loathsomeness of the stench and crying together, I became so sick and low that I was not able to eat, nor I had the least desire to taste anything."
Equilano was beaten in order to eat.Due to the starvation that Equilano attempted the body of many slaves were deprived of many vital nutrients, such as vitamin C which leads to the development of the condition scurvy. With Nutrient Deficiency Diseases out breaks taking place and the losses in 'cargo' becoming great, they decided to create a system that the losses would not be so hazardous. The Atlantic Triangular Trade was constructed intricately, different businesses depended on its yields therefore the business was overseen thoroughly and protected by the highest of powers. The ships were heavily insured to secure their profits and the arrival of their 'cargo'. The entire system was air tight and organised. The Maritime Insurance covered the losses of ships at sea ensuring as little money as possible from being wasted mitigating all hindrances such as storms and shipwrecking losses. In one notorious case in 1781 the captain of the Liverpool slave ship Zong threw 132 slaves overboard because he claimed the ship was running short of water. In fact, the slaves were already sick and if they had died of sickness the loss would have fallen on the shoulders of the ship owners. Therefore in an attempt to have the insurers pay he claimed he was forced to jettison his slaves to conserve his quickly dwindling water supply.
It was absolutely horrifying to see the steps taken in order to accomplish a profitable trade and to know that people of so called noble class would stoop to such levels to make a mere penny. Nonetheless they accomplished what they sort and the slave trade was indeed extremely profitable. The slaves that were traded worked on plantations to acquire raw material for manufacturing companies such as sugar manufacturing.
Sale and distribution in the Americas
In the 18th century sugar had become the main staple in the Caribbean colonies. Since Spain recognised St. Domingue in 1697 to the seven long years of War between England, Spain and France in 1756, Sugar production grew at an unbelievable rate.
Therefore most of the slaves imported were bought by sugar plantation owners. In this period of the 18th century the sugar dominant countries were Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Cuba the procedure for preparing Sugar was revolutionised. New technology was introduced meaning new 'jobs' were made to facilitate the new mechanised procedures; this meant it was twice as dangerous to be working on plantations with the bulky steam powered machinery introduced.
Upon the arrival of the slaves in the Americas, owners of legitimate slave ships would first prepare their slaves for auction. The preparation for auction was both demeaning and horrifying; the complete turn-around in treatment from aboard the ships was drastic. This was because in preparation the enslaved was fed a large amount of food, bathed and treated like calves to be fatted for slaughter. In truth and in fact that is what they were seen as mere animals; the slaves were then auctioned off as new goods brought off a cargo ship. There would be many masters from several estates present and Slaves as well as other goods for auction.
In the auction a slave was given to the highest bidder and from that day forward would belong to their master till the day of their death or until freedom was acquired or given. The life for a slave upon plantations was no relief from the ordeal on the ship because the Europeans tried their hardest to ensure few slaves from the same tribe resided together. This was an attempt against mutiny which often work until they learned English or the language of the country in which they now live. However for a Slave dragged miles away from what they no to a completely different 'world' all together would be terrifying and it would steel their minds to one goal returning home.



Conclusion
The Transatlantic Slave Trade was a business and it was created to sate the greed of the Europeans. Although they state that it was done as an attempt to tame the 'wild, savage, beasts' Africans were and to turn them from their heathen ways. That was not a good justification nor was it the truth.
The inhumane and crude nature of the trade from the betrayal of the African agents to the brutality at the coast and aboard the vessels and at last the nostalgia they face in foreign lands was beyond appalling and done by men who claim to be civil and noble. During the years of the 18th century this is what the 'Black Triangle consisted of and this is what Africans endured.




BibliographyBibliography
Bibliography
Bibliography




Ashdown, P., & Humphreys, F. (1988). Caribbean Revision History fro CXC. United Kingdom: Macmillan Publishers limited.
Beckles, V. .. (2004). Liberties Lost. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
Honychurch, L. (2006). The Caribbean People. United Kingdom: Nelson Thornes Limited.
John Gilmore,Beryl.M.Allen, Dian McCallum, Romila Ramdeen. (2006). Empires and Conquests. Jamaica: Carlong Publishers.
Many scholars and professors. (n.d.). Caribbean Slavery in the Atlantic World: (1st ed., Vol. 1). (V. Shepherd, & H. McBeckles, Eds.) United Kingdom: James Currey Publishers; Markus Wiener Publishers ; Ian Randle Publishers.



AppendixAppendix
Appendix
Appendix

A diagram of how the Slaves were packed on board the Ships.Acquired from: Beckles, V. .. (2004). Liberties Lost. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.A diagram of how the Slaves were packed on board the Ships.Acquired from: Beckles, V. .. (2004). Liberties Lost. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
A diagram of how the Slaves were packed on board the Ships.
Acquired from: Beckles, V. .. (2004). Liberties Lost. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.


A diagram of how the Slaves were packed on board the Ships.
Acquired from: Beckles, V. .. (2004). Liberties Lost. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.







Diagram of a Slave Auction Advertisement Source UnknownDiagram of a Slave Auction Advertisement Source Unknown
Diagram of a Slave Auction Advertisement
Source Unknown

Diagram of a Slave Auction Advertisement
Source Unknown











Diagram of A Maritime Insurance Contract Source UnknownDiagram of A Maritime Insurance Contract Source Unknown
Diagram of A Maritime Insurance Contract
Source Unknown
Diagram of A Maritime Insurance Contract
Source Unknown