The Slave Trade

The slave trade began in the fifteen century when the Portuguese traders captured slaves so they could be later sold in the Mediterranean or embarked to Brazil.
Others countries, such as England, France, Spain and The Dutch Empire soon followed.

Why Africans?

European empires required hard workers to work for them because of the new lands in America.
The Africans had the most experience and were used to the climate not like Europeans and indigenous tribes from the New World. The reasons are that the indigenous tribes were dubious and Europeans suffered under tropical diseases. Besides Africans had been slaves for centuries and could be forced easily on working in mines or on plantations.

Conditions on Board

The conditions on board were bad. Many people died. They had almost no nutrition and when disease began to spread, the weak ones were sometimes thrown overboard. The voyage took three to four months and during this time, the slaves were chained to the floor or on shelves inside the ships' hulls.

The Civil War

African-Americans served in the Civil War on both the Union and Confederate side. 179,000 African American men served in over 160 units. They served in relief roles, for example, working as nurses, cooks, and blacksmiths.

Most of the slaves came from the central and western parts of Africa.
Far more slaves were taken to South America than to the north. (Picture)

The Underground Railroad was the term used to describe a network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century slaves of African descent in the United States to escape to northern free states and Canada.

Harriett Tubman, born a slave, became famous for being a conductor on the Underground Railroad and saving hundreds of slaves.

White men viewed the slaves as production tools. They were important but worthless, which means they were replaceable.

It was worse than racism, black people were considered as non-human beings.

Slavery was the beginning of capitalism.

How white people view the slaves

The Underground Railroad

Harriet Beecher Stowe is known for her for her anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin.