The Slave Trade as a Global Enterprise

I. Primary Source Areas for Slaves:
 

A. Overall Picture:
 

1. How Many Africans in the Whole Slave Trade?

a. 1500: 5000/yr.
b. 1550: 8000/yr.
c. 1600: 9500/yr.
d. 1650: 13,800/yr.
e. 1700: 36,100/yr.
f. 1750: 80,000/yr. (peak about 1760 to end of century)
g. 1800: 80,000/yr.
 

B. African Regional Contributions
 

1. West Coast: contribution ranged from 40%, c. 1500 to 16%, c. 1700

2. Gulf of Guinea: contribution ranged from 20%, c. 1500 to 54%, c. 1700

3. West Central Africa: Contribution ranged from 40%, c. 1500 to  31%, c. 1700

II. Primary Destinations of African slaves:
 

A. Overview: 1450-1870; Portuguese start trade in 15th century and are the last to end it in 1870.
 

  1. Europe & the Atlantic Islands: 1.9%
 
  2. Spanish America: 15.9%

  3. Brazil: 37.8%

  4. Non-Spanish Caribbean: 40%

  5. North America: 4.4%

 

B. Estimates for Key Regions
 

1. Spanish Americas

 
a. c. 1600-1750: 450,000 slaves legally imported

   

2. Brazil

a. c. 1535-1810: c. 2.5 million slaves imported 

3. Caribbean

a. Jamaica: c. 1700-1786: 610,000 slaves imported

III. The Slave Trade and the Plantation Complex: An Early Global Enterprise

 

A. Triangle Trades in the Atlantic

 
1. Basic Pattern of Trade

 
 
 

2. Reason for Trade Structure

B. Who ran the trade?

 

1. 1500-1700

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

2. Objections to Monopoly
 
 
 
 
 

3. 1700-End of the Slave Trade
 
 

 

 
 

IV. Contemporary and Modern-Day Views on the Slave Trade

 

A. Contemporary Views:
 
 

1. Proponents:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

2. Opponents:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

B. Modern-Day Scholars
 

1. Williams Thesis
 
 

2. Underdevelopment Thesis
 
 

3. Thornton Thesis
 
 

Key Terms:
Triangle Trade
Cash Crops
Manufactured Goods
Slaves
Mercantilism
Spain: asiento de negros
Portugal: Private Trade
Britain: Royal African Company
France: Royal West India Company, commerce exclusif
Dutch Republic: Dutch West India Company
Planters

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