Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Trans Atlantic Slave Trade?
The Trans Atlantic Slave Trade was one of the most horrific events in human history. It was a system of trading African people, who were kidnapped and forced into slavery, to the New World. It began in the early 16th century and lasted until the late 19th century. The trade was incredibly brutal, with millions of Africans being shipped across the Atlantic Ocean in cramped and often unsanitary conditions that resulted in high mortality rates. The slaves were treated like livestock, with little regard for their well-being or their individual rights.The Trans Atlantic Slave Trade was a major part of European colonisation and expansion into new territories. It allowed for an influx of wealth for those involved at every level: from traders to ship owners to plantation owners who could now exploit slave labour for large-scale production on plantations in North America and Caribbean colonies such as Jamaica and Barbados. As demand increased so did profits; however, this came at a great cost to the enslaved Africans whose lives were cut short due to overwork, malnutrition, diseases caused by poor living conditions and physical abuse by their captors. At its peak, around 4 million people had been transported across the Atlantic Ocean as slaves. This had devastating effects on African societies which experienced significant population drops due to lost individuals never returning home again or having died during transportation it is estimated that about 12 million Africans left Africa during this period but only 10 million survived long enough to be sold into slavery abroad (World History Encyclopedia). The Trans Atlantic Slave Trade had a lasting impact both on those directly affected by it as well as society more generally it played an essential role in shaping today’s world economy with its legacy still felt through racial inequalities present today such as unequal access to resources or opportunities based on race/ethnicity (HuffPost). This history should not be forgotten or overlooked; we need to confront our past so that we can build a better future where everyone has equal rights regardless of race or ethnicity.