Unit One: Becoming African America

1. Unit One: Becoming African America

2. Africa • Africa is geographically, ethnically, religiously, politically, and culturally diverse • West Africa is typically the ancestral homeland of most African Americans • There are several ancient civilizations of West Africa

3. Pg 80- 83 Ancient West African Civilizations

4. European Exploration • Portugal & Spain led the way in European exploration in the 15th century • In need of labor for their colonies in the “New World,” they focused on Africans • There was already a thriving slave trade in Africa • Africans traded slaves to Europeans, often times due to rivalries among tribes

5. Motives for the Expansion of Slavery • European demand for sugar drove up prices, making sugar plantations very profitable • Because the cultivation of sugar is extremely labor intensive, the Native labor supply could not meet the demands of the sugar industry • African slaves were then imported to meet this demand

6. The Slave Trade in Africa • Race was not a factor in the slave trade in Africa • Usually slaves taken for use in Africa were used as concubines & domestic servants (women & children) or as soldiers (men) • Slaves were often captured in warfare • They were forced to trading posts on the coast • Slaves were stuffed tightly in slave ships for the trip across the Atlantic Ocean

7. Conditions on Slave Ships • Poor sanitation • Insufficient food • Widespread disease • Cramped conditions • Sexual abuse of women by crew of ships • Slaves would throw themselves overboard to drown • Resistance & rebellion commonly occurred

10. Atlantic Slave Trade

11. The Middle Passage • The “Middle Passage” was the middle leg in a triangular trade that linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas. • On this middle leg, slaves purchased with European products were transported to the Americas • Once there, they worked in agriculture, producing commodities for the European market

12. Triangle Trade

13. Seasoning Process • Most slaves who survived the journey were first sold in the Caribbean (West Indies) • They were “seasoned,” by learning their new jobs, environments, language, and rules • Behaviors & attitudes were modified to break connections with Africa • The goal was to produce efficient & effective laborers • Slaves were subjected to the humiliation of examination & sale • They were often purchased by British & later American plantation owners for work in North America

14. Seasoning Process

15. Seasoning Process

17. Characteristics of Slavery in America • Most slaves were men, used for agricultural labor • Slaves became personal property, losing basic rights. • The slave trade was outlawed: • Britain in 1807 • United States in 1808