Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Essay

Gold and silver brought the great wealth of European nations as well as the enslavement of the African people. This is demonstrated in an excerpt from a letter written in 1559 by Michele Soriano he states, “...great quantities of gold and silver are no longer found upon the surface of the earth, as they have been in past years; and to penetrate into the bowels of the earth requires greater effort… the Spaniards are not willing to do the work themselves, and the natives cannot be forced to do so… it is necessary to acquire negro slaves [enslaved Africans], who are brought from the coasts of Africa”. Spain’s interactions with its colonies in the Americas were frequent, therefore resources such as gold and silver began to reduce, this is why they had to dig deeper into the earth. Therefore it was essential for Europe to get laborers to work in the mines colonies because Spaniards were unwilling to do the work and the Native Americans were unable to do work due to the Emperors freed them. Michele Soriano also writes, “The fifth part of all that is produced goes to the king, but since the gold and silver is brought to Spain and he has a tenth part of that which goes to the mint…

When one queries the assessment of the European commercial activities and its impact in the Atlantic Islands and West Africa between the years 1415 and 1600, trickery, social violence, intrusion and the horrors of slavery comes to mind. There were many negative impacts such as population loss, loss of self worth and loyalty, the Europeans involved caused the demise of the European cloth industry. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to set foot in this area in the fifteenth century. During the history of Portugal (1415-1542), Portugal discovered an eastern route to India that rounded the Cape of Good Hope, established trading

Gold & Silver: Gold and silver was the main reason of oversees exploitation and conquests for the money it provided for the Spanish empire. Brutal and violent acts were done to possess the metals. France, England, and Dutch also got the goods by stealing from Spain.

Beginning in 1419, Prince Henry of Portugal, also known as “The Navigator”, began financing sailors, mapmakers, and shipbuilders that were devoted to finding new lands. These men were from different nationalities, ranging from Italy, Arabia, and Germany. Their primary focus was to sail around Africa, and land in India. Although at first they failed to go to India, they were successful in sailing down the west African coast, which was the beginning for one of the worse trades in the history of mankind, which is slavery. In 1444, the first 200 slaves from Africa were shipped to Portugal. Later, in 1488, Portuguese captain Bartholemeu Dias sailed around Africa, passing by the Cape of Good Hope. One decade later, Vasco de Gama went farther than Dias and came back to Portugal loaded with spices from the East. Then the Spanish came along. Unlike Portugal, that based its empire off of naval capabilities, the Spanish based theirs off conquest and colonization. There were many Spanish conquistadors, but the most famous of them all is Christopher

Although all this documents stress voices from the Slave Trade, each document sheds a unique light on the much-debated question about who should be held responsible for the tragedy of the Atlantic slave trade. For example, Document 15.1 sheds light on the role of both European and African merchants in the trafficking of slaves as well as the human suffering of the slave trade. However Document 15.2 reveals the cooperation between local African rulers and European and African traders in the slave trade. Moreover, Documents 15.3 focus on how disruptive European traders could be to established African governments, even those that actively opposed the slave trade. And finally, Document 15.4 shows how some African leaders were attached to the slave trade and promoted it even when European were moving to end it. Nonetheless, all the documents do shed a clear and a full light on what should be held responsible for the

The Atlantic Slave Trade portrayed the lack of empathy and compassion many Europeans felt toward the treatment of African slaves. Europeans used slavery to advance their own economic standings and seemed to care little on how slavery uprooted African culture and society. As the Industrial Revolution sparked a more intense trading system across the Atlantic, the demand for African slaves dramatically increased. Slaves were seen as a “Necessary Evil” as described by Thomas Jefferson. American Colonies thrived off the backs of African slaves; agricultural production soared in the colonies, feeding the mother countries the raw materials they needed for factory production.

The transatlantic slave trade began in the 15th century, after the Portuguese started exploring the coast of West Africa. This had a long term effect on Africa because even though it started out benefiting the upper class in Africa, the long term effect was devastating. When Europeans started to enter Africa, they enjoyed “the triple advantage of guns and other technology, widespread literacy, and the political organization necessary to sustain expensive programs of exploration and conquest”(Doc 4). Africa’s relations with Europe depended on common interests, which Europe did not share. Europe’s contact with Africa, involving economic exchanges and political relationships, was not mutually beneficial.

In the Atlantic slave trade, African slaves were treated like animals or even objects. White people took advantage and mistreated them. A few examples of this

The changes in African life during the slave trade era form an important element in the economic and technological development of Africa. Although the Atlantic slave trade had a negative effect on both the economy and technology, it is important to understand that slavery was not a new concept to Africa. In fact, internal slavery existed in Africa for many years. Slaves included war captives, the kidnapped, adulterers, and other criminals and outcasts. However, the number of persons held in slavery in Africa, was very small, since no economic or social system had developed for exploiting them (Manning 97). The new system-Atlantic slave trade-became quite different from the early African slavery. The

The time period of 1492 to 1750 was an era of conquest and innovation. Arounnd this time was when there was more interactions between the Eastern and Western hemispheres of the world. These interactions had major impacts on the world as a whole at the time, both good and bad. During this time in the Atlantic world, European dominance and the demand for God, gold, and glory remained constant, while there were significant social changes in the Native American population and the attitude that native had towards the Europeans.

The history of the Atlantic slave trade is long and sordid, from the working and transportation conditions to the structure of the trade itself. Historians and scholars from all backgrounds have worked to understand the impact of slavery and why it went on for so long. Two scholars, John Thornton and Mariana Candido, have extensively studied both the impact and organization of the Atlantic slave trade, but disagree on a few main conclusions. Upon thorough review of both sides, however, John Thornton’s ideas regarding the Atlantic trade are more convincing than Candido’s, and by looking deeper into each side it is clear why.

After King James 1 and Spain made peace he wanted to establish money making colonies in the Americas. Stockholders saw this as an opportunity to look for gold to transfer debtors and the jobless to work as well to teach the Native Americans

The work of the Portuguese in Africa was far from complete. They continued setting up trading stations spanning across the west coast of Africa, still with the intention of finding gold.

The Shipwreck Shines Light on Historic Shift in Slave Trade showed a historic shift of the Portuguese slave trade in December 1794. It reveal according to the National Geographic, “More than 400 men, women, and children lay shackled in the ship’s hold, their fates bound to the merciless law of supply and demand.” The Portuguese slave traders of Africa had their vessel ready to partake of a trying journey. The 7000-mile journey from Mozambique was on a high turbulence of waters crossing the Atlantic to Brazil. This was a high risk and based on a financial gain.

Patrick Henry desired to go Africa which is called the golden kingdom to search the gold, money, spices and ivory. He also anticipated to go to Asia by all sea route, as Europeans heard this magnificent continent from the most famous traveler Marco Polo, whose thought and great adventure in Asia was recorded and spread throughout the Europe. In 1441, even one decade before Christopher Columbus was born, a ship left Portugal and sail toward the Atlantic ocean. They arrived at the west of Africa at last, and they start to trade with spice, gold, and oil as Patrick Henry commanded it (Williams 1). This text shows us that Europeans in Africa developed trade of spices, which they can bring back to home, and help them preserve the food for a longer period time. They are also in favor of the gold for seeking expression of the beauty. Meanwhile, the west African grew rich by trading gold and spices with European trader. However, European started another business in Africa, the trade of