Concetti Chiave
- The triangular trade involved transporting twelve million Africans across the Atlantic between 1620 and 1820.
- The British dominated this trade, which was termed "triangular" due to its three-leg route involving goods, slaves, and commodities.
- Goods such as guns and cloth were traded for slaves in Africa, who were then sold in the Americas, funding the purchase of sugar, tobacco, and molasses.
- Profits from the slave trade significantly contributed to the British economy, accounting for 5% during the Industrial Revolution.
- Slavery in the U.S. faced legal challenges, with the 1808 Congress ban and the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 leading to the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery.
The triangular trade
Between 1620 and 1820, twelve millions of Africans were transported across the Atlantic.
At the time theBritish were the biggest slave traders and their trade was known as the triangular trade, because of the route it took.
Ships sailed from Britain full of goods such as guns and cloth. These goods were exchanged with African chiefs for slaves, then they carried their cargo across the Atlantic to the Americas and the Caribbean Islands. Here the traders sold the slaves at public actions to raise money, and with that money they bought sugar, tobacco and molasses. After that, the ships returned to Britain carrying this cargo, which was sold at huge profits. During the Industrial Revolution the profits of the slave trade was the 5% of the whole British economy.
The life of slaves
After they arrived in America, families were often divided up and small children were taken from their mothers. Slaves belonged to their owners and had no legal rights, they couldn't meet other slaves in public, they couldn't travel without permission and it was also illegal to teach them how to read or write; slaves who disobeyed could be beaten. But in 1808 the American Congress outlawed the system of slavery, even though it continued for more than fifty years. Another important thing was The Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln in 1863, which freed the slaves held in the southern states of U.S.A. Two years later the U.S Constitution prohibited, by the 13th Amendment, slavery in the whole country.
Domande da interrogazione
- What was the triangular trade and how did it function?
- How were the lives of slaves affected upon their arrival in America?
- What were the significant legal changes regarding slavery in the United States?
The triangular trade was a system where British ships sailed to Africa with goods like guns and cloth, exchanged them for slaves, transported the slaves to the Americas and Caribbean Islands, and then returned to Britain with sugar, tobacco, and molasses. This trade was highly profitable, contributing 5% to the British economy during the Industrial Revolution.
Upon arrival in America, slave families were often separated, with children taken from their mothers. Slaves had no legal rights, were prohibited from meeting publicly, traveling without permission, or learning to read or write. Disobedience could result in beatings.
In 1808, the American Congress outlawed the system of slavery, although it persisted for over fifty years. The Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, issued by President Lincoln, freed slaves in the southern states, and the 13th Amendment in 1865 abolished slavery throughout the United States.
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