The Atlantic Slave Trade

Telling more than just the American version.

By: Brian Innes

Sugar is King! The expansion of the Atlantic Slave Trade was

driven by the profitability of sugar. The Canary Islands off the West Coast of

Africa provided the starting point for the expansion of slavery to the Atlantic World.

Next came ventures to Madeira, Cape Verdes and Sao Tome.

Eventually, Europeans had the ability to move west across the Atlantic.

On their own terms While early Europeans believed that they

would be able to raid African coasts, they were largely unable to do so.

African maritime technology forced Europeans to trade with Africans for slaves

Europeans were advised to conduct trade properly, waiting until African officials made contact and grant permission for trade.

John Thornton, Africa and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World, 1400-1800 p. 39.

Slaves, not Captives The vast majority of slaves taken from Africa were

already slaves when the Europeans arrived The west coast of Africa was dominated by hundreds

of nations, constantly warring for territory and power

Their goal in warfare was to take prisoners not to kill more than their enemy

Land does not define wealth, people doPhilip Curtin, The Rise and Fall of the Plantation Complex.

J. W. Buel, Heroes of the Dark Continent (New York, 1890), p. 66; also, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-32008.

Slaves not Captives, cont’d This situation created a large number of slaves

for the warring nations Africans viewed those outside of their nation as

not being of the same kin and therefore subject to being enslaved

The rulers or kings of these nations would trade these slaves for desired luxury items from the Europeans

Claude Meillassoux The Anthropology of Slavery

Luxury not Necessity Africans traded with Europeans for luxury

goods because it was the kings who were in charge of the trading

Africans produced plenty of textiles, they saw the possession of European textiles as a matter of prestige

Early on they rarely traded for weapons, their warfare was different than that of Europeans

Why Africans? The Africans that Europeans traded for to

develop the New World were already enslaved Indigenous populations were killed off by

European diseases Indigenous populations knew the territory Africans from different nations were unable to

communicate in the early stages

Resources Curtin, Philip D. The Rise and Fall

of the Plantation Complex. Cambridge University Press, 1990.

Klein, Herbert S. The Atlantic Slave Trade. Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Manning, Patrick. Slavery and African Life. Cambridge University Press, 1990.

Northrup, David. The Atlantic Slave Trade. Boston College, 2002.

Thornton, John. African and Africans in the Making f the Atlantic World, 1400-1800. Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Websites: http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/

Slavery/ http://africanhistory.about.com/

library/weekly/aa080601a.htm http://encarta.msn.com/

encyclopedia_761595721/Atlantic_Slave_Trade.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/9chapter4.shtml

Email: bdi0547@uncw.edu

The Roles of Adolescence in the

Lives of Civil Rights Activists

Kerry Schwallenburg

Ida B. Wells-Barnett Greatest anti-lynching

activist Writer for the Free

Speech Filed lawsuit in 1884

against the Chesapeake, Ohio, & Southwestern Railroad

Founding member of the NAACP

www.pbs.org/.../ peopleevents/p_wells.html

Childhood and Adolescence Father, Jim Wells,

influenced her passion for justice & equality

He was a member of the board of trustees at Shaw University

At 16, her parents died of yellow fever

She became the guardian of her 6 siblings and worked as a teacher

www.africawithin.com/ bios/ida_wells.htm

Childhood & Adolescence Born into slavery in 1856 Was a house boy for a

wealthy white family Worked in mines during

the day & attended night school

Worked his way through the Hampton Institute as a janitor

http://docsouth.unc.edu/washstory/washin.html

The Aftermath of Childhood Her father’s love of

education gave her the will to gain a formal education

His determination was apparent in the lawsuit she filed in 1884.

Began a lifelong crusade against lynching in 1892 after 3 of her friends were murdered

Her father’s fearlessness was once again apparent in her writings

www.loc.gov/exhibits/ odyssey/educate/barnett.html

Booker T. Washington Accomodationist Ran the “Tuskegee

Machine” Considered an axis

between the races

www.historycooperative.org/ btw/info.html

Hard Work Pays Off 1881 established the Tuskegee

Institute, perhaps motivated by his mentor at Hampton, General Chapman Armstrong

1st college to open with an all black faculty

Behind the scenes he exploited white philanthropists by funding several newspapers and court cases

http://www.tuskegee.edu

Malcolm X “A man who stands for nothing will

fall for anything.” “Education is our passport to the

future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.”

“I want Dr. King to know that I didn’t come to Selma to make his job difficult. I really did come thinking I could make it easier. If the white people realize what the alternative is, perhaps they will be more willing to hear Dr. King.”

                         

Childhood & Adolescence As a child, teachers told him he could

not become a lawyer Grew up in Michigan, where his father

was murdered As a teenager he moved to Boston and

later to Harlem, where he saw the separation within his own race

“I think that an objective reader may see how in the society to which I was exposed as a young black youth here in America, for me to wind up in prison was really just about inevitable.”

The Struggle Introduced to the Nation of

Islam by his brother while in prison

In 1963, he was one of the most desired speakers in the U.S.

Just prior to his assassination Malcolm X made a trip to Mecca where he adopted orthodox Islam and changed his militant views

Resources General

“African American Odyssey” Library of Congress http://rs6.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aointro.html

The History of Jim Crow http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/home.htm The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow

Ida B. Wells-Barnett Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Crusader of Freedom

http://www.learntoquestion.com/seevak/groups/2002/sites/wells/NEW “Ida B. Wells” Just the Arti-FACTS http://www.chicagohs.org/aotm/Mar98/mar98fact2.html

Booker T. Washington “The Booker T. Washington Papers.” The History Cooperative

http://www.historycooperative.org/btw/index.html “Booker T. & W.E.B.: The Debate between W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington.”

Frontline: The Two Nations of Black America http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/race/etc/road.html

More Resources Malcolm X

Malcom-X.org http://www.malcolm-x.org/index.html The Official Website of Malcolm X

http://www.cmgww.com/historic/malcolm/home.php “What he said Archive” Malcolm X: A Research Site

http://www.brothermalcolm.net/mxwords/whathesaidarchive.html

Gender Relations in Early America:Myths about the Native American and English Woman

The Authentic History Center: Primary Sources from American Popular Culture http://www.authentichistory.com/diversity/native/images/diversity_native_images04.html

The Myths and Stereotypes Indian Women Had No

Status Example: Pocahontas

portrayal by Disney English women were

highly revered More status than Native

American Women

Mary Jemison Child of two Irish immigrants She was captured by six Indians

and four Frenchmen Adopted by Seneca Tribe Mary described her new life as

better than the life of most English, white women.

European Ideals vs. Native American Ideals Native American societies were based upon

ideals that promoted equality Many tribes were matrilineal and matrilocal

European Patriarchy

Male head of household and Woman were submissive followers

The English Woman Cotton Mather

“produce the fear of, a cautious diligence never to displease him.”

Ideal English women of late 17th century Pious Virtuous Domestic SUBMISSIVE Thrifty Hardworking

The Iroquois Woman Sir William Johnson on Native American Women’s

Power Very strong Hard to undermine Women were present at council meetings and conferences

of each tribe in the Five Nation Iroquois Ideal Iroquois Woman:

Political Active Economic provider of stable food source—Corn Head of household based on matrilocal traditions

Contact, Conflict and the Causes of the Gender Shift Diseases Trade: Increasing

Dependency of Iroquois on European goods ‘Consumer

Revolution” Warfare (damaged

crops)

The English Woman’s Increasing Status Religious Realm

Leaders of church Moral leaders in

Community Domestic Realm

Deputy husbands during times of war and also during other times of the husband’s absence

The Iroquois Woman’s Declining Status No longer able to provide

stable food source Loss economic power Loss of political status

Authority transfers to Native American men Biggest industry—trading.

Sir William Johnson and the Effects of Englishmen

Towards Today’s Gender Conventionso Gradual beginning of a women’s movement

that is still ongoing in today’s society.

o Iroquois women assimilate into English patriarchal view

o English women gain status o Step outside of the domestic sphere

For Further Information Link to paper and Powerpoint Presentation: : Email address: cne6687@uncw.edu Helpful Links:

Information on Iroquois “The Longest Living Democracy on Earth”:

http://www.ratical.org/many_worlds/6Nations/#CREDITS http://www.iroquois.net/ http://www.iroquoismuseum.org/

Halder, Bornali. “Native American Women,” n.d., <http://www.lakotaarchives.com/natwomenpr.html>

Information on Mary Jemison (Iroquois Captive) http://www.letchworthparkhistory.com/jem.html

IMA Hero Reading Program (Questions about the book, If you Lived with the Iroquois) http://www.imahero.com/readingprogram/iroquois.html

Information on 17th century English Women: http://www.nhc.rtp.nc.us/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/erelwom.htm