Slavery During The Columbian Exchange

1. African slave labor was widely used in the Americas because even though they were expensive, they were better investments for plantation owners than Amerindians or indentured servants, the two other labor systems at this time. African slaves were immune to more diseases than the Amerindians, therefore they lived longer, which was a good investment. The English, French, and Dutch colonies in the Caribbean profited when they switched their laborers from indentured servants to African slaves. The rapid expansion of plantations in the West Indies required many more African slaves to work them. The amount of slaves traded from Africa doubled from the beginning of the seventeenth century to the end and tripled in the next century. Rising sugar
prices led to the West Indies sugar planters being able to afford African slaves, who cost twice as much as indentured servants. Slaves worked for 3-4 years longer than indentured servants, which made them a better long-term investment. Countries’ entries into the slave trade also combined economic and political motives, such as seizing African land from rival countries.
Because many slaves died from diseases or poor nutrition early in their lives, more and more slaves were imported into the Americas, increasing the magnitude of the slave trade.

2. One piece of the Atlantic economy were the plantations in the West Indies. Sugarcane and tobacco were grown on these plantations. By 1614, seven thousand shops in and around London sold tobacco. The West Indies, especially Saint Domingue, became the Atlantic’s largest sugar producer.

3. Slaves typically lived for about 7 years on the plantations. On most islands, 90 percent of the population were slaves, and a plantocracy, a small number of very rich men who owned most of the slaves and most of the land, controlled them. . Every slave worked, regardless of their gender or strength. Three percent of the slaves were house servants. Seventy percent of able-bodied slaves worked in the fields, generally in 1 of 3 labor groups. A “great gang” made up of the strongest slaves in their prime of life did the heaviest work. A second group of youths, elders, and less fit slaves did lighter work. A “grass gang” was children supervised by elderly doing simple work. Nursing mothers took their
babies with them to the fields. There were many more men than women on the plantations. A little over 50 percent of the men did non-gang work, such as being blacksmiths or carpenters. The slaves were worked very hard and their owners got high productivity by using threats and force. Each slave gang was run by a privileged male slave, a “driver” who made sure the slaves finished their work. Slaves were punished with whipping, mutilation, floggings, or confinement in irons for rebellion, fatigue, or disobeying the driver. A slave’s workday could be 18 hours long during harvest. Slaves did not work on Sundays, but they had to use this free time to farm and do their own chores. Slaves were not given recreational time or education. Deaths heavily outnumbered births on plantations. Many died due to disease, poor nutrition, and accidents with mill equipment. Also, poor nutrition and overworking led to lower fertility rates and made it hard for a pregnant woman to carry a child for all nine months. Life expectancy was 23 for men and 25.5 for women. Disease killed many African slaves. During seasoning, a period of adjustment to a new environment, climate, and work, killed one-third of new slaves. However, because many slaves died from diseases or poor nutrition early in their lives, more slaves were imported into the Americas, and because they were African-born, this created a strong African culture including religious beliefs, styles of dress, and music. There were rebellions and runaway slaves in the Indies. There were groups of runaway slaves in some colonies, called maroons.

4. The lives of the free people were drastically different than the lives of the slaves. In Saint Domingue, there was a hierarchy with wealthy plantation owners, “great whites,” at the top who controlled the economy and society of the island. Next were less-well-off Europeans, “little whites,” who were retail merchants or colonial officers. Both of these groups owned slaves. At the bottom of the free hierarchy were the free blacks, many of whom owned property and slaves. Wealthy plantation owners also gained political power and social prestige. Slave owners could grant their slaves manumission (legal freedom) which increased the amount of free blacks.

5.
In both mercantilism and capitalism systems, the government gives protection to investors and merchants in order to reduce the possibility of loses. Capitalism was the economic system which had an expansion of credit and large financial institutions, such as banks, stock exchanges, and chartered trading companies. These institutions allowed merchants and investors to conduct business far away from their homes, increase profits, and reduce losses. Banks and joint-stock companies were crucial to the capitalist system. Mercantilism was the economic system in which the European states discouraged merchants from trading with foreign merchants and even used armed forces to enforce this. European states did this to monopolize the profits from their colonial empires and receive gold and silver. Chartered companies, such as the Dutch East India Company, the Dutch West India Company, the French East India Company, the French West India Company, and the Royal African Company were crucial to this system and produced large profits. The Royal African Company controlled English merchants’ trade on the Atlantic coast of Africa. Capitalism also used chartered trading companies. French and English governments used military force to gain advantages in the Americas. In mercantilism, high tariffs and restrictions were enforced to exclude foreigners. Other mercantilist laws imposed high taxes on manufactured goods and products such as refined sugar in order to protect national manufacturing
and agricultural interests from the competition of colonies.

6. The Great Circuit was a group of trade routes connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas. The first leg of the Atlantic Circuit went from Europe to Africa and carried European manufactured goods, such as metals, hardware, and guns. This leg also carried cotton textiles brought from India. Some of these goods were exchanged for West African gold, ivory, timber, and other products, but most of it went to purchase slaves. The slaves were then sent to the plantation colonies in what was called the middle passage. On the third leg, plantation goods from the colonies returned to Europe. Each leg carried goods from where they were abundant and cheap to where they were scarce and valuable. Also, African gold and American silver were exchanged for cotton textiles and spices between Europe and Asia. Foodstuffs and lumber were also brought from New England to the Caribbean. The “Triangular Trade” brought rum to West Africa, slaves to the West Indies, and molasses and rum back to New England. Brazil and Angola traded Brazilian tobacco and liquor for slaves. Lastly, Brazil tobacco was traded for Canadian fur.

7. In the Atlantic slave trade, the slaves were treated harshly by the Europeans. Slave traders had to deliver as many healthy slaves as possible for sale in plantation colonies. There were terrible conditions on the slave ships and the voyage was six to ten weeks long, so many slaves died before reaching the plantations. Before 1700, 23 percent of slaves died on the voyage, but after 1750, only half as many slaves died. On the slave ships, when an opportunity presented itself, some slaves would try to overpower the crew and escape. So, when close to land, the male slaves would be shackled together to prevent rebellion and escape. Men were also kept below deck, except at mealtimes, they were allowed to come up to eat in small, supervised groups. Slave traders also used whippings, beatings, and executions to maintain order. Some slaves developed deep depression, “fixed melancholy” and refused to eat. However, the main cause of death was disease. Diseases such as dysentery and smallpox spread quickly among the slaves and crew in the crowded and unsanitary ships.

8. Many more slaves were traded in the Atlantic slave trade than in the Saharan slave trade. Between 1550 and 1800, 8 million African slaves were brought to the Americas, and only 2 million were traded within Africa. However, the Saharan slave trade lasted longer. Most slaves in the Atlantic slave trade were prisoners of war. In the Atlantic slave trade, most slaves worked on plantations. In contrast, slaves in the Saharan slave trade were mostly soldiers and servants and some were artisans. In the Americas, most slaves were men, while in Africa, most slaves were women who worked for wealthy households as concubines, servants, and entertainers. The Saharan slave trade also had more children traded. The Saharan slave trade had much longer exposure to Islamic culture than the Atlantic slave trade had to European culture. Scholars and merchants learned to use Arabic to communicate with Northern Africans and to read the Quran. Islamic beliefs and practices were also influential in African trading cities. European cultures did not influence Africa in the same way, some people learned European languages and converted to Christianity, but not many.