Africa+and+Africans+in+the+Age+of+the+Atlantic+Slave+Trade

The Atlantic Slave Trade The Portuguese had conquered areas in African hoping to expand their powers however they weren't able to expand to a certain extent due their strength, their purpose in African was not only to gain wealth but it was also to convert others to become Christianity. Their buying and importing of slaves that begin in 1441 led to their success and as that grew their sugar plantations grew so did their wealth and population.
 * In 1487 Portuguese ships reached Cape of Good Hope, created factories, and trading post with merchants residing there.
 * El Mina in 1482 was the most essential. The Portuguese only had power over some areas.
 * Africans and Portuguese traded slaves, pepper, animal skin, and other materials.
 * Portuguese became successful because they were able to go into the trade routes that had already existed.
 * There were missionaries that had tried to convert others.
 * The Kongo Kingdom in 1484 had been converted to Christianity. The ruler Nzinga Mvemba had played a role in doing so.
 * Eventually Nzinga wanted to limit slave trade because the Portuguese tried to enslave his people, eventually no successful.
 * Luanda had become the foundation to where the Portuguese had settled in the 1570’s south of Kongo.
 * Portuguese had gained controlled of territories like Mozambique Island and created an outpost there, and were table to gain access to gold.
 * During 17th century Portuguese had competition.
 * Portuguese are now able to access Sub Saharan Africa bought slaves n 1441.
 * Slave trade grew as sugar production grew.

Trend Toward Expansion. Several reasons why slave trading was so essential to different areas therefore led to the growth and development of slave trading.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">B/T 1450- 1850 about 12 million African Americas had crossed the Atlantic ocean, only 10 or 11 made it to America.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">16,000 in 17th century, 7 million b/t 1700 to 1800
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">3 million slaves lived in America.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Low population rate due to lack of female slave import.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">In 1860 6 million slaves were in America, working.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">3.5 to 5 million sent to Brazil b/t 1150- 1850.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Demographic patterns <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Men were more highly used as slaves in areas where hard labor was needed due to sugar plantations and mining.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Trans-Saharan slave concentrated on women being used as concubines, and servants, Atlantic on men.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">More slaves meant greater production and even led to the crops of maize.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Organization of the Trade <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The Portuguese had developed over the centuries and profited over the years, however they began to lose control as other competitors rise and since other people began doing the same they begin to lose their role as major supplier. The long term of slave trading was not necessarily profiting them even though it may seem like it during that time, diseases and such were the down side in slave trading.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">·Until 1630 the Portuguese had controlled most lands and were a major supplier.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">·The English in 1660’s wanted their own source of slaves and Dutch in 1637’s had took over El Mina.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">·Diseases such as malaria had killed many people.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">·Indies piece were healthy men, women and children were only part of the value, currency established were brass rings, cowie shells, and iron bars.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">·About 300 percent was the profit of a slave voyage, however around 18th century it became 5-10%.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">·Triangular trade existed where slave brought to America, items like tobacco and sugar to Europe and European items to Africa.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Capitalism grew because of slave trade.

African Societies, Slavery, and Slave Trade
 * Slaves or forms of peasant-like bonds had already existed on Africa are how the Europeans would justify it.
 * Slaves could have different roles such as concubines, soldiers, or even administrators.
 * Certain slaves in areas like Kongo were required to pay tribute.
 * Muslim trader of west Africa had slaves that were in a specific area and they were there in case needed for any reason.
 * Atlantic trade opened up slave trading.
 * Excess of women led to polygyny.
 * Ahmad Baba of Timbuktu believed it was wrong to enslave Muslims.
 * African states had aided Europeans to get involved in the existing trade.

Slaving and African Politics
 * Sales of Slaves had increased and so did the importance of military due to endless wars.
 * There was a shift in power due to the existence of the Europeans on the coast.
 * People on the coast had attempted to monopolize trade with the Europeans.

Asante and Dahomey
 * Ritual authority and luxurious court life was what the successful rulers had surrounded themselves with.
 * **Asante** in Gold Coast had rise during the slave trade, part of the Akan people, Oyoko clan had predominated.
 * Under **Osei Tutu**, the title **asantehene** was created meant supreme civil and religious leader.
 * Akan clans were linked together under the asantehene and the golden stool.
 * Asante were able to keep their power until the 1820’s.
 * When the Europeans had arrived the Kingdom of Benin was at the peak.
 * Oba, the ruler in 1516 had limited slave trade, textile, ivory and peppers were used instead.
 * The power of the Kingdom Dahomey began to grow in the 17th century, was able to create autocratic and brutal political regime based on slave trade during 1720’s due to being able to access firearms.
 * In 1727 King Agaja had taken over Whydah which attracted Europeans.
 * The areas that Dahomey controlled it placed its own traditions and eliminated the royal families.
 * Chiefs in the Asante were challenged by officials that were placed by the asantehene, bureaucracy began to form.
 * Artists in Africa made spiritual World apparent.

East African and the Sudan · Swahili continued trading in the Indian Ocean. · Slave soldiers were required by the Portuguese to increase their territories. · Zanibar consisted of 100,000 slaves in the 1860’s. · Pastoralist peoples in the Nile valley had moved southward into Western Kenya and Uganda and met Bantu speakers and also Cushitic. · Luo had rule a dynasty in Bantu population. · Western Sudan was swept away by the Muslim reform movements in the 1770’s. · Religious brotherhoods that advocated purifying Sufi variant of Islam had expanded their influence. · The **Fulani** had been affected. · Usuman Dan Fodio in 1804 had preached the reformist ideology in the Hausa Kingdoms. · Under his brother and son the city of Sokoto had developed. · Pagan practices were being eliminated, political units being created. · Slave labor rose to supply the royal courts and plantations.

White settler and Africans in Southern Africa
 * The Southern end was the least affected by the slave trade.
 * Pastoralism and mixed farming had spread throughout the region.
 * East region of southern Africa was occupied by Bantu speaking people during the 16th century.
 * Men farmed and did art; women did the housework and farmed.
 * There were 50,000 Bantu people.
 * Cape of Good Hope was established in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company to serve as a post for ships sailing to Africa.
 * Cape colony had 17,000 settlers, 26,000 slaves, and 14,000 Khoikhoi in 18000.
 * Cape Colony was taken by the British in 1795 and formally in 1815.
 * Boers migrated north.
 * Britain abolished slavery in 1834 and placed restrictions on landholding.

The Mfecane and the Zulu Rise to Power
 * Military organization and unification process began to take place within the Nguini peoples.
 * Shaka took over in 1818. Killed in 1828.
 * Iron discipline was a new tactic created.
 * Zulu chiefdom of Shaka had become the focus of the military.
 * Zulu was still the most impressive military force until the end of the century.
 * The beginning of **mfecane** was the rise of Zulu and Nguni chiefdoms.
 * **Swazi** had adapted to Zulu and **Lesotho** had resisted.
 * Great Britain destroyed Zulu power in 1870’s.

The African Diaspora
 * Prices of Slaves grew favored African dealers.
 * Africa imported firearms, cowrie shells, and texiles, tobacco. Exported gold, ivory and slaves.

Slave Lives Harsh condition of living led to mutiny on ships, increase in death of the slaves was inevitable due to unsanitary conditions and overcrowding.
 * About two thirds of the slaves/captives were alive due to the harsh conditions.
 * Conditions included unsanitary ships, overcrowding, and disease.
 * **Middle Passage-** voyage to America.

Africans in the Americas Slaves were transported to areas to do mostly hard labor that required mining or even in agriculture, however there were also other jobs that were available.
 * Plantations and mines of America was where the slaves were mostly transported to.
 * Slaves were brought to do labor from Africa and had replaced servants for Virginia and Barbados.
 * However slaves had other jobs too such as servants, street vendors or even artisans.

American Slave Socities There were distinctions between types of slaves and certain types of slaves were offered better opportunities than others, also as time passed less slaves were African born due to being born in that area. The population of the slaves had grew and their were diversity.
 * There were **saltwater slaves,** and **Creole slaves**.
 * Mulatto and Creole slaves had a better opportunity in obtaining a better job which were less tedious than those working in mines.
 * African slaves were the ones that had rebelled more for example in the 18th where there were Akan-led rebellion sand 17th century which is the largest escape of slaves.
 * During the 17th and 18th the African Americans had a greater population than the Europeans, due to birth and the death of indigenous people.
 * Brazil was different however there was only about 35% of African Slaves in addition with descendants of slaves a total of 2/3 of the population.
 * Africa had little influence on slavery for North American due to less than 10% of the population were free people of color and that manumission was less common.
 * Less than 1% were African born (slaves) by the time of 1850.

The People and Gods in Exile