Which of the following statements about west african slavery is most accurate? (2023)

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  • Origins of the transatlantic trade of enslaved people
  • Which of the following statements concerning the shape of the commerce in African slaves is most accurate?
  • What type of slavery was practiced in West Africa?
  • What was the role of slavery in West Africa?
  • How would you describe slavery in Africa?

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  • National Museums Liverpool - International Slavery Museum - The History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade
  • South Africa History Online - The Slave Trade
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art - The Transatlantic Slave Trade
  • Our Migration Story - From Slavery to Freedom: J. Gronniosaw's 'Narrative'
  • Lowcountry Digital History Initiative - The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
  • Statistics LibreTexts - The Transatlantic Slave Trade

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  • Atlantic slave trade - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

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External Websites

  • National Museums Liverpool - International Slavery Museum - The History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade
  • South Africa History Online - The Slave Trade
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art - The Transatlantic Slave Trade
  • Our Migration Story - From Slavery to Freedom: J. Gronniosaw's 'Narrative'
  • Lowcountry Digital History Initiative - The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
  • Statistics LibreTexts - The Transatlantic Slave Trade

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

  • Atlantic slave trade - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Alternate titles: Atlantic slave trade

By Thomas Lewis Last Updated: Dec 4, 2022 Article History

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Which of the following statements about west african slavery is most accurate? (1)

transatlantic slave trade

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transatlantic slave trade, segment of the global slave trade that transported between 10 million and 12 million enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas from the 16th to the 19th century. It was the second of three stages of the so-called triangular trade, in which arms, textiles, and wine were shipped from Europe to Africa, enslaved people from Africa to the Americas, and sugar and coffee from the Americas to Europe.

Origins of the transatlantic trade of enslaved people

By the 1480s Portuguese ships were already transporting Africans for use as enslaved labourers on the sugar plantations in the Cape Verde and Madeira islands in the eastern Atlantic. Spanish conquistadors took enslaved Africans to the Caribbean after 1502, but Portuguese merchants continued to dominate the transatlantic slave trade for another century and a half, operating from their bases in the Congo-Angola area along the west coast of Africa. The Dutch became the foremost traders of enslaved people during parts of the 1600s, and in the following century English and French merchants controlled about half of the transatlantic slave trade, taking a large percentage of their human cargo from the region of West Africa between the Sénégal and Niger rivers. In 1713 an agreement between Spain and Britain granted the British a monopoly on the trade of enslaved people with the Spanish colonies. Under the Asiento de negros, Britain was entitled to supply those colonies with 4,800 enslaved Africans per year for 30 years. The contract for this supply was assigned to the South Sea Company, of which British Queen Anne held some 22.5 percent of the stock.

Which of the following statements about west african slavery is most accurate? (2)

Study the history of the African slave trade and its economic effect on western Africa, where coastal states became rich and powerful while savanna states were destabilized as their people were taken captive

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Probably no more than a few hundred thousand Africans were taken to the Americas before 1600. In the 17th century, however, demand for enslaved labour rose sharply with the growth of sugar plantations in the Caribbean and tobacco plantations in the Chesapeake region in North America. The largest numbers of enslaved people were taken to the Americas during the 18th century, when, according to historians’ estimates, nearly three-fifths of the total volume of the transatlantic slave trade took place.

The slave trade had devastating effects in Africa. Economic incentives for warlords and tribes to engage in the trade of enslaved people promoted an atmosphere of lawlessness and violence. Depopulation and a continuing fear of captivity made economic and agricultural development almost impossible throughout much of western Africa. A large percentage of the people taken captive were women in their childbearing years and young men who normally would have been starting families. The European enslavers usually left behind persons who were elderly, disabled, or otherwise dependent—groups who were least able to contribute to the economic health of their societies.

Historians have debated the nature and extent of European and African agency in the actual capture of those who were enslaved. During the early years of the transatlantic slave trade, the Portuguese generally purchased Africans who had been enslaved during tribal wars. As the demand for enslaved people grew, the Portuguese began to enter the interior of Africa to forcibly take captives; as other Europeans became involved in the slave trade, generally they remained on the coast and purchased captives from Africans who had transported them from the interior. Following capture, the abducted Africans were marched to the coast, a journey that could be as many as 300 miles (485 km). Typically, two captives were chained together at the ankle, and columns of captives were tied together by ropes around their necks. An estimated 10 to 15 percent of the captives died on their way to the coast.

Which of the following statements concerning the shape of the commerce in African slaves is most accurate?

Which of the following statements concerning the shape of the commerce in African slaves is most accurate? The Atlantic slave trade drew slaves from across the African continent and its concentration shifted from Sengambia to central and Western Africa over time.

What type of slavery was practiced in West Africa?

In many African societies traditional lineage slavery became more like chattel slavery due to an increased work demand. This resulted in a general decrease in quality of life, working conditions, and status of slaves in West African societies. Assimilative slavery was increasingly replaced with chattel slavery.

What was the role of slavery in West Africa?

Africa and EnslavementIvory, gold and other trade resources attracted Europeans to West Africa. As demand for cheap labour to work on plantations in the Americas grew, people enslaved in West Africa became the most valuable 'commodity' for European traders. Slavery existed in Africa before Europeans arrived.

How would you describe slavery in Africa?

In most cases, slavery systems in Africa were more like indentured servitude in that the slaves retained some rights and children born to slaves were generally born free. The slaves could be released from servitude and join a family clan.

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