Basic 5 · History · Slave Trade
Why Europeans Began Trading in Humans
In this topic you will investigate why Europeans began buying and selling human beings from the 16th century.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Explain the demand for labour in the Americas
- State reasons why the trade in humans grew
- Describe how people were captured and sold
What you already know
- The arrival of the Europeans
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
- Strand
- Europeans in Ghana
- Sub-strand
- Slave Trade
- Indicator
- B5.3.2.1.1 – Investigate why the Europeans began trading in humans by the 16th century
Introduction
In the 1500s (the 16th century), the Europeans' trade on the West African coast changed. They began to buy and sell human beings. Millions of Africans were taken across the Atlantic Ocean. Why did this terrible trade start?
1. The Need for Labour in the Americas
After Christopher Columbus reached the Americas in 1492, Europeans took over large areas of land in South America, the Caribbean and North America. They set up huge farms called plantations to grow sugarcane, and later cotton, tobacco and coffee. They also opened gold and silver mines. All this work needed many workers.
At first, the Europeans forced the Native Americans to work. But many Native Americans died from hard labour and from European diseases such as smallpox, to which they had no resistance. The Europeans then looked to Africa for workers.
2. Reasons for the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
| Reason | Explanation |
|---|---|
| labour shortage | plantations and mines in the Americas needed many workers |
| deaths of Native Americans | disease and harsh work killed millions |
| Africans' skills | many Africans were skilled farmers and used to tropical heat |
| profit | enslaved people were sold for high prices; sugar made planters rich |
| guns and goods | some African rulers and traders wanted guns, cloth and alcohol in exchange |
| wars | captives taken in wars were sold to European traders |
3. How People Were Captured
People were captured in wars between states, in raids on villages, or by kidnapping. Some were sold as punishment for crimes or because of debt. Captives were marched in chains from the interior to markets such as Salaga and then to the coast. At Assin Manso, captives were given a last bath in the "Slave River" (Donkor Nsuo) before being taken to the castles at Cape Coast and Elmina. There they were kept in dark, crowded dungeons, sometimes for weeks, until ships arrived.
Remember: The trans-Atlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity. Remembering it helps us make sure it never happens again.
New words
- slave trade
- Buying and selling of human beings.
- plantation
- A large farm growing one crop for sale.
- labour
- Work, or workers.
- captive
- A person who has been captured.
- dungeon
- A dark underground prison.
- trans-Atlantic
- Across the Atlantic Ocean.
Summary
- Plantations and mines in the Americas needed many workers.
- Native Americans died from disease and hard labour.
- Profit, guns and wars helped the trade grow.
- Captives were marched to the coast and kept in dungeons before shipping.
Class activity: Cause Map
- Draw a cause-and-effect diagram showing why the slave trade began.
- Put "Plantations in the Americas" in the centre.
- Add at least four connected causes.
You need: Ghana map, Printed photographs of Ghanaian coastal forts, Castles, Cowrie shells, Trade beads
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. In which century did Europeans begin the trade in humans?
- A. 16th century
- B. 20th century
- C. 10th century
- D. 21st century
Show answer
Answer: 16th centuryThe 1500s.2. What crop did plantations first grow with enslaved labour?
- A. Sugarcane
- B. Cocoa
- C. Rice
- D. Yam
Show answer
Answer: SugarcaneLater cotton and tobacco.3. Why did many Native Americans die?
- A. Diseases and hard labour
- B. Floods only
- C. Old age
- D. Famine in Europe
Show answer
Answer: Diseases and hard labourThey had no resistance to smallpox.4. Captives were kept in dungeons in the castles.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueUntil the ships came.5. The slave trade began because Africa needed more workers.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: FalseThe Americas needed workers.6. Large farms growing one crop for sale are called ______.
Show answer
Answer: plantationsMostly in the Americas.7. State three reasons for the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Show answer
Answer: Labour shortage in the Americas, profit, and demand for guns and goods (or deaths of Native Americans).Any three.8. Why was Assin Manso important in the slave trade?
Show answer
Answer: Captives were given a last bath in the Slave River there before being taken to the coastal castles.It is now a memorial site.
Homework
- Write a paragraph explaining why the slave trade was wrong.