Details on the Middle Passage, Effects of Slavery

The Organization of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
The organization of the slave trade was placed in the hand of a company
which was given the sole right by a particular nation to trade in slaves on the
coast of West Africa, to erect and maintain forts necessary for the protection
of the trade and transport and sell slaves in the West Indies. Individuals, that
is free traders or interlopers, were excluded.
The British established the Company of Royal Adventurers trading to Africa in
1663 and replaced it in 1672 by the Royal African Company. The French
established the French West Indian Company in 1673 and in 1674 it was
transferred to the Senegal Company. The Dutch trade was given the name
Dutch West Indian Company in 1621.
These slaves trading companies established trading forts called factors.
Factors were in charge of these forts. The responsibility of these factors was
to purchase slaves from the Africans and to keep them in barracoons, they
were also responsible for overseeing the large complex credit system. The
slave trade was one side of the triangular trade linking Europe, West Africa
and the Americas. The trip from Europe was the first leg of the triangular
trade. The traders involved in this leg of the trade had to ensure that they
had the financial support of the national company or the sponsorship of
independent private people before they set out to obtain slaves in Africa.
This sponsorship included the provision of suitable ships, adequate crew,
supplies of food and water, proper insurance coverage against loss at sea
from pirate attacks, in addition to manufactured goods to exchange in Africa.
Ships left the European ports (Bristol and Liverpool) carrying textiles, guns
and other metal goods to forts exchanged for slaves who were taken to
Bridgetown, Barbados and Kingston, Jamaica. On the return journey from the
Caribbean to England, they carried sugar on the return journey.
The Middle Passage
The Middle Passage refers to the journey across the Atlantic Ocean from the
coast of West Africa to the New World. During the period of slavery, this
journey lasted from 6 weeks to 3 months. The duration depended on the
weather and the exact distance to be covered.
Many slaves saw the ocean for the first time when they arrived on the coast
after their first capture. The sound of water and the sight of the huge vessel
riding at anchor filled them with great fear and amazement. Their fear
increased when they were made to board the vessel and saw Europeans for
the first time. According to Equiano, ‘’I was now persuaded that they were
going to kill me.’’, the different complexion and strange language spoken by
the Europeans only served to confirm the belief in the minds of Africans that
they would be killed.
When the ship started on its journey the slaves were packed in the hold of
the ship without even sufficient room to turn. The heat in the hold of the ship
was overbearing due to the fact that the ship always travelled in the tropics.
It was made worse by the usual overcrowding. The air in the hold soon
became unfit for breathing. There was the stench of filth, perspiration and
vomit. Disease spread easily under these conditions and the groans of the
dying could sometimes be heard. The slaves often suffered from circulatory
problems brought up from lying all day in the same position. To reduce this
effect, the slaves were brought up on deck one day for exercise. While on
deck the slaves were always closely guarded to prevent them from jumping
overboard. As an added precaution nettings were placed along the sides of
the vessel. Despite these measures however, a few slaves did jump into the
ocean. Some of them may have hoped to swim back to Africa, whilst others
would have looked forward to the after-life, preferring death to the misery
aboard the ship. For those who jumped overboard and caught, the
punishment was severe.
Arrival in the West Indies
On arrival in the New World, the slaves were physically weak and mentally
depressed. If sold immediately the slave captains would only have obtained
a low price for them. To ensure a good price, they sometimes allowed the
slaves a few days of fresh air to refresh themselves. They were fed fresh
fruits to improve their skin tone and carbohydrates and protein to increase
weight and strength. Just before the sale, the slaves were oiled in an effort to
give them a healthy glow.
Effects of the slave trade on West Africa
 Reduction in the population. Historians estimate that by time the
British slave trade ended, some 10-15 million slaves were forcibly
taken from their homeland. This obviously led to an artificial decrease
in the population. It was to be an annual decline as the slave trade
gathered momentum each year until its abolition in the early
19th century (1807).
 Families were separated. Parents were crudely snatched, leaving their
precious children behind. In some cases, it was the reverse. Children
were taken leaving grieving parents behind.
 Homes were literally destroyed by fire during the raids.

 The raiders took the young and strong people. These represented the
backbone of the economy- the labour force. Needless to say,
production declined, particularly in the short run until they were able to
start all over again.
 There was increased distrust among neighbours and even friends.
 Local production and crafts such as pottery and brass work decreased.
Firstly, many skilled persons were taken. Secondly, with the influx of
European consumer goods that were exchanged for slaves, there was
an increase in the taste and demand for these goods. They were now
viewed as better than the local products.
 The guns and ammunition that were trade items for slaves gave extra
security to one group but provided the means for them to raid another
group.
 Many African chiefs became rich from the trade. Some used the profits
from the trade to expand their kingdom. One such group was Benin.
 The trade opened up new routes in the interior of West Africa.
 Employment was provided for a number of locals. Sadly, they found
jobs as cohorts with white slave raiders. Others supplied traders with
food on the journey to the coast and so on.
 Some chiefs charged taxes for the coffles to pass through their area.
With this money they were able to develop their territory.
 Other chiefs concentrated on the slave trade and the profits to be had
from it rather than their political duties.
The Effects of Slavery on the Caribbean
Social
 An artificial increase in the size of the population as literally hundreds
of thousands of African slaves were imported annually into the New
World.

 A change in the racial composition of the society. Before the Sugar
Revolution the majority of the population was white and the minority
black. By the mid-18th century, blacks far outnumbered whites, in some
cases the ratio was as much as 25:1.
 A host of new laws were introduced to regulate and define the
relationship between master and slaves, for example, the Deficiency
Act was passed to deal with the unequal ration. Then each Colonial
Power drafted their own set of laws: Spanish: Siete Partidas,
French: Code Noir and the English colonies enacted their individual
Slave Codes.
 A whole new culture was introduced- the African culture. There was a
small amount of mixing of the two cultures (hybridization/creolization)
as well.
 A new ‘’breed’’ of person was introduced. These were the mulattoes.
They were the off spring of the whites and blacks.
 Society became highly stratified. A person was now judged firstly by
colour and then wealth, so that even a poor white was deemed to be of
a higher status than a rich mulatto.
Economic
 The pattern of landownership changed. Before sugar and slavery, there
were many farmers owning small plots of land on which they grew
tobacco and other cash crops. This pattern changed to a few
landowners owning large estates on which they cultivated sugarcane
to be manufactured into raw muscovado sugar for export to the Mother
Country.
 The price of land increased dramatically towards the end of the 17th
century and into the 18th century as more and more sugar estates were
being established.

 Large amounts of capital were invested in the sugar industry. Most of
this capital however came from the Mother Country itself. Soon the
West Indian planters became indebted to (European) British bankers,
investors and merchants.
 The plantation owners became very wealthy. Some of them went back
to Europe to live in comfort and style, showing off their wealth. The
expression ‘’as rich as a West Indian planter’’ became the accepted
description of any wealthy person.
 England collected a lot of taxes and duties and shared in the profits of
the Sugar Industry. Later, she would use much of this money to
finance her Industrial Revolution.
 The Triangular trade provided employment in a number of areas from
shipbuilding to insurance, to porters and warehouse landlords among
others.
The European countries: France, Portugal, Britain, the Netherlands (Holland),
and Denmark were directly involved in the slave trade. Spain did not directly
participate in the slave trade but chiefly purchased slaves from the
Portuguese and English traders in Africa.