Introduction to the Atlantic Slave Trade

The Atlantic Slave Trade spanned over 400 years, beginning in the late 15th century and continuing into the 19th century, during which millions of Africans were captured and forcibly transported to the Americas to work in brutal conditions. The trade was driven by European demand for tropical products produced in the New World. This triangular system enriched many European merchants at the cost of immense suffering and loss for enslaved Africans.

Ships would leave Europe loaded with goods for Africa, trade those goods for enslaved Africans, transport the enslaved individuals to the Americas - this leg is called the Middle Passage - and then return to Europe with products produced by the enslaved population. The conditions for the enslaved Africans were deplorable, with many dying during the journey across the Atlantic.

Conditions on Slave Ships

Slaves

The owners of slave ships loaded as many slaves as possible to make the voyage more profitable. They did so by cramming, chaining, and selectively grouping slaves to maximise the use of space. Slaves on board were underfed and brutally treated, causing many to die before even arriving at their destination; dead or dying slaves were thrown overboard. It took an average of one to two months to complete the journey. The slaves were naked and shackled [chained] together with several different types of chains, stored on the floor beneath bunks with little to no room to move. Some captains would assign Slave Guardians to watch over and keep the other slaves in check. They spent a large portion of time pinned to floorboards which would wear skin on their elbows down to the bone. Firsthand accounts from former slaves, such as Olaudah Equiano, describe the horrific conditions that slaves were forced to endure.

The Slave Trade Act 1788, also known as Dolben's Act, regulated conditions on board British slave ships for the first time since the slave trade started. It was introduced to the United Kingdom parliament by Sir William Dolben, an advocate [supporter] for the abolition [ending] of slavery. For the first time, limits were placed on the number of slaves that could be carried. Under the terms of the act, ships could transport 1.67 slaves per ton up to a maximum of 207 tons burthen [a ship's cargo capacity], after which only one slave per ton could be carried. The well-known slave ship Brookes was limited to carrying 454 people; it had previously transported as many as 609 enslaved. Olaudah Equiano was among the supporters of the Slave Trade Act but it was opposed by some abolitionists, such as William Wilberforce, who feared it would establish the idea that the slave trade simply needed reform and regulation, rather than complete abolition.

Sailors and crew

In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the sailors on slave ships were often poorly paid and subject to brutal discipline and treatment. Furthermore, a crew mortality rate [death rate] of around 20% was expected during a voyage, with sailors dying as a result of disease, flogging [whipping] or slave uprisings. While conditions for the crew were far better than those of the slaves, they remained harsh and contributed to a high death rate. Sailors often had to live and sleep without shelter on the open deck for the entirety of the Atlantic voyage as the space below deck was occupied by slaves.

Disease, specifically malaria and yellow fever, was the most common cause of death among sailors. A high crew mortality rate on the return voyage was in the captain's interests as it reduced the number of sailors who had to be paid on reaching the home port. Crew members who survived were frequently cheated out of their wages on their return. These aspects of the slave trade were widely known; the notoriety [infamy] of slave ships amongst sailors meant those joining slave ship crews did so through coercion [force] or because they could find no other employment. This was often the case for sailors who had spent time in prison.

It is known that black sailors were among the crews of British slave ships. These men came from Africa or the Caribbean, or were British-born. Dozens of individuals have been identified by researchers from surviving records. However knowledge of this is incomplete as many captains did not record the ethnicity [racial or cultural background] of crew members in their ship's muster roll [crew list]. African men (and occasionally African women) also served as translators.

The below diagram is one of the most widely copied and powerful images used by those who campaigned to end the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Traders knew that many of the Africans would die on the voyage and would therefore pack as many people as possible on to their ships - in total there were 609 enslaved men, women and children on board this ship. The conditions would have been appalling. Each person occupied a tiny space in the hold. In this case they had to lie in spaces just 10 inches high and were often chained or shackled together in pairs, making movement even more difficult. The cramped conditions meant that there were high incidences of diseases such as smallpox, measles, scurvy and dysentery. Because of the long distances involved food and water was rationed and always in short supply or ran out completely. By April 1787, the diagram was widely known across the UK, appearing in newspapers, pamphlets, books and even posters in coffee houses and pubs. An image had rarely been used as a propaganda tool in this way before and it proved to be very effective in raising awareness about the evils of the slave trade.

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

The United Nations (UN) came into being in 1945, shortly after the end of World War II.

The stated purpose of the UN is to bring peace to all nations of the world. After World War II, a committee of persons headed by Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, wrote a special document which “declares” the rights that everyone in the entire world should have—the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today there are 193 member states of the UN, all of whom have signed on in agreement with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Where Do Universal Rights Begin?

"In small places, close to home—so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."

—Eleanor Roosevelt - wife of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Chair of the United Nations Commission that wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

CREATIVE JUSTIFICATIONS

The United States was founded on liberty and equality. But to early Americans, these principles had to do with establishing a government ruled by citizens instead of a king. The first Americans didn’t even believe all citizens should have a say in government—just those who were white, male, and owned land. The U.S. Constitution was written to ensure liberty and equality, yet it also allowed slavery. Consider the opening section of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, below:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

These words were written in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson - a man who owned more than 600 African people as slaves.

People defended slavery in one of two ways. Some people thought slavery was a necessary evil -- something we needed even though we didn’t like it. Others thought slavery was actually a good thing that helped everyone involved. Here are four ways people justified slavery.