Slave Trade

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=85 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04080803.jpg"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SLAVERY IN AMERICA"><U><B>HOME</B></U></A><B>     </B><A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Roots"><U><B>ROOTS</B></U></A><B>  </B><A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Slave Trade"><U><B>  SLAVE TRADE</B></U></A><B>   </B><A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LIFE"><U><B> LIFE</B></U></A><B>    </B><A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Laws"><U><B>LAWS</B></U></A><B>     </B><A HREF="id1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rebellions"><U><B>REBELLIONS</B></U></A><B>    </B><A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Underground Railroad"><U><B> UNDERGROUND RAILROAD</B></U></A><B>    </B><A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Abolition"><U><B> ABOLITION</B></U></A><B>     </B><A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Civil War"><U><B>CIVIL WAR</B></U></A><B>    </B><A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="timeline"><U><B> TIMELINE</B></U></A><B>     </B><A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Search"><U><B>SEARCH</B></U></A><B>  </B><A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Credits"><U><B>CREDITS</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=385 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04180803.jpg"> <div> <B>Slave Trade</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="180" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#660000" BORDERCOLORDARK="#663300" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 144 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="0a6a98a0.jpg" border=0 width="169" height="138" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> <A HREF="#mth" TITLE="Slave Trade"><U><B><IMG SRC="0a16f1f0.gif" border=0 width="111" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="3" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="335" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#660000" BORDERCOLORDARK="#663300" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 709 WIDTH="321"><div> Slavery existed for centuries before the first slaves came to America. Old Egyptian, Greeks, and Romans owned the slaves. In Africa there were many kingdoms and slavery was legal. When Europeans came to Africa, slavery there already existed. </div> <div> The first European slave traders were from Portugal. The little country of Portugal built the first European fort in Africa in 1481. It was called Fort Elmina.  Soon, people from other countries found out about the slave trade. Spain was one of the biggest slave trading nations. They needed African slaves to work on their plantations in South America and Caribbean.  This is where most of the slaves were taken during the first few centuries of the Atlantic slave trade.  </div> <div> England was one of the latest countries to start slave trade. Soon England became on of the biggest slave trading nations.  They began to bring slaves to the Caribbean.  They formed the Royal African Company in 1672. This allowed English colonies in America to easily buy slaves from English traders. At the beginning only a few slaves came to English colonies. But when the big tobacco and rice plantations grew in the colonies in the south the slave trade increased. </div> <div> Although many people think that most slaves were stolen or caught by slave traders, this is not the truth. Most slaves were bought by Europeans from other African people. Often, rival tribes sold into slavery members of other tribes they captured during wars.  Most of the slaves came from the West Africa and spoke many different languages. </div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="0a2601f0.gif" border=0 width="96" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> No one knows the exact number of slaves that were taken from Africa. Philip Curtin in 1969 calculated that about 10 million slaves were taken from Africa. </div> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="mth"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B><IMG SRC="0a16f1f0.gif" border=0 width="111" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> Philip Curtin calculated the about 10 million slaves were taken from Africa.</div> <div> Other researchers found that 2 out of 10 slaves died before they arrived to the South or North America.</div> <bR> <div> If the research is correct, how many slaves died before they made it to Americas???</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=395 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04180803.jpg"> <div> <B>The Middle Passage</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="#top_10" TITLE="Slave Trade"><U><B>TOP TEN REASONS WHY SLAVES DIED DURING THE MIDDLE PASSAGE VOYAGE!</B></U></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="3" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="399" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#660000" BORDERCOLORDARK="#663300" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 467 WIDTH="385"><div> The Middle Passage is the term we use to describe slave trade from Africa to America. Some people also call it the Triangular Trade, because the ships traveled on ways that formed a triangle.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="200" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#660000" BORDERCOLORDARK="#990000" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 143 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="0d1be880.jpg" border=0 width="190" height="136" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> The trip was horrible. Many people died of diseases and were thrown overboard. People were packed like animals and had to watch others die and suffer. They did not know where they were going and many decided to fight or even kill themselves. The ships carried much more people than they were made for. The slaves were given very little food during the trip. But, few days before they reached America, they were given extra food so they would look better and earn more money at the slave auction.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <B> <A NAME="top_10"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>TOP 10!</B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="398" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#660000" BORDERCOLORDARK="#663300" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFCCB2 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 49 WIDTH="386"><div> LENGTH OF THE TRIP</div> <div> More slaves died on long trips. Even a few days made difference. Some trips took 40 days and some up to 150!</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 65 WIDTH="386"><div> WAITING ON THE SHIPS</div> <div> Many times slaves that were caught had to wait for the traders to buy more slaves before they sailed to America. They had to live in chains on the ships.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 49 WIDTH="386"><div> WAITING IN AFRICAN FORTS</div> <div> Traders built forts and trading posts to keep slaves until ships came to take them. Many forts were filthy dark dungeons.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 49 WIDTH="386"><div> REBELLIONS</div> <div> Many slaves fought to free themselves. They rebelled on the ships. Most of the time they did not succeed.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 115 WIDTH="386"><div> SUICIDE</div> <div> Some slaves could not stand the conditions. They were also afraid that white people will eat them. They got this idea because they knew that many people were taken from Africa but no one ever returned. Also, many slaves thought it is better to be dead than to be a slave. Most suicides were done by jumping overboard and drowning.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 65 WIDTH="386"><div> MURDER</div> <div> Sometimes the ship crews and traders would beat, punish and kill slaves. They could get away with it because slaves were not thought of as people.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 98 WIDTH="386"><div> DISEASE</div> <div> Conditions on the ships were terrible. There were rats and bugs everywhere. Drinking water and food were spoiled. Dead bodies lied next to living people. Diseases such as dysentery were common and many slaves died from them. Some ships even had outbreaks of small pox.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 65 WIDTH="386"><div> TRAUMA</div> <div> Many slaves went "crazy". They were separated from families, tied in chains, and held as slaves. Many could not stand it and they became mad.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 98 WIDTH="386"><div> PACKING</div> <div> There were two ways to pack a slave ship. Tight packing meant that you will load as many slaves as possible. Often their bodies touched. Loose packing meant that slaves were given some room to turn around and not touch another person. Less slaves died on "loose" packed ships.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 49 WIDTH="386"><div> ESCAPE</div> <div> Often slaves wanted to escape. They tried to escape before and during the trip. This was very hard and most were killed.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>