Concetti Chiave
- The first African slaves arrived in Europe in Portugal in 1444, marking the beginning of a significant and tragic chapter in history.
- By the late 15th century, more than 500 African slaves were being transported to Europe annually, driven by the demands of plantations in the Americas.
- The "triangle of trade" involved British traders exchanging goods for slaves in West Africa, selling them in the colonies, and returning with goods like sugar and tobacco.
- Slaves endured inhumane conditions during their transport and were forced to work long hours in harsh environments on American plantations.
- By the end of the 18th century, ethical concerns about the slave trade began to emerge among some British citizens, questioning its morality.
The Arrival of African Slaves
The first black African slaves in Europe arrived in Portugal in 1444. 50 years later, more than 500 slaves were imported into Europe every year. The white colonisers of southern America wanted workers for their sugar, cotton, tobacco and rice plantations, so the slave trade prospered. A “triangle of trade” began. First, traders sailed from Britain to exchange goods in West Africa for slaves. Secondly, they trasported the slaves to the colonies and sold them there. Finally, the ships returned to Britain with sugar, tobacco and raw cotton. Many people in Britain became rich from the slave trade.
Inhumane Conditions and Moral Doubts
The slaves were from West Africa, often prisoners from wars between tribes than sold to the white traders at slave markets in the ports. They travelled in inhuman conditions, inside the ships. for many days.
In 1790, one - third of the population of the southern states of America were slaves. They worked on plantations 16 hours a day, 6 days a week. But at the end of the century some British people began to ask if the slave trade was a justifiable cruelty.
Domande da interrogazione
- How did the "triangle of trade" function in the context of the African slave trade?
- What were the conditions like for African slaves during their transportation and work in the colonies?
- What shift in perspective began to occur in Britain towards the end of the 18th century regarding the slave trade?
The "triangle of trade" involved traders sailing from Britain to West Africa to exchange goods for slaves, transporting the slaves to the colonies to be sold, and then returning to Britain with sugar, tobacco, and raw cotton, enriching many in Britain.
African slaves endured inhumane conditions during their transport, often packed tightly in ships for many days, and once in the colonies, they worked on plantations for 16 hours a day, 6 days a week.
By the end of the 18th century, some British people started questioning the morality of the slave trade, considering it a potentially unjustifiable cruelty.
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