The Atlantic Slave Trade

The Atlantic Slave Trade

I . Introduction

The origins of the Atlantic slave trade lay in the pioneering Portuguese voyages of the 15th century that made known the west coast of Africa . In 1444 , Portuguese sailors captured some coastal Africans and brought them back to Lisbon . A thriving slave trade soon developed in Portugal

Shipment of African slaves to America began in 1517 . Spanish officials had discovered that Caribbean natives were dying off because they were unsuited for heavy labor . Africans were found to be hardier and more capable of doing

heavy work . Perhaps 900 ,000 Africans reached America in the 16th century (Walvin 2003

During the 17th century a large European market developed for such cash crops as sugar , cotton , coffee , and tobacco , which were grown in Brazil the West Indies , and the English colonies of southeastern North America As demand for plantation labor increased , the traffic in slaves swelled The Portuguese , who were the first slavers (carriers in the slave traffic (Blassingame 2006 , were supplanted by the Dutch , who were in turn replaced by the English and French

It is estimated that about 2 ,750 ,000 slaves were brought to the Americas during the 17th century and 7 ,000 ,000 during the 18th

Thesis Statement : The scrutinizes the Atlantic Slave Trade and its Consequences , on West Africa , and the Americas

II . Discussion

Slavery in the Americas began shortly after the first European settlers arrived in the New World . In some areas Indian slave labor was used at first...