The transatlantic slave trade ranks among history's most destructive events. But it was also one of history's first truly global phenomena, the largest forced migration ever seen. For the first three centuries after Columbus, most of the Old World settlers in the Americas came from Africa, not Europe, and were enslaved, not free, and their descendants shaped the world in which we now live.
This module will examine the transatlantic slave trade from its beginnings in 15th-century Iberia to its cessation in the mid-19th century. Our scope will be global, which means we will give equal attention to the various regions (European, African, American, and even Asian) that shaped the trade. Topics will include: early Portuguese activities along the African coast; the Spanish trade under the Asiento; relevant political developments in the various regions of Africa; the entry of the Dutch, English, and French; the relationships between specific parts of Africa and specific regions of the Americas; the operation of the various chartered monopolies; the effects of the slave trade on African demography, politics, and economic development; the era of 'free trade;' African resistance and rebellion; the rise of the abolitionist movement; the illegal trade; and the end of the trade.
This module will examine the transatlantic slave trade from its beginnings in 15th-century Iberia to its cessation in the mid-19th century. Our scope will be global, which means we will give equal attention to the various regions (European, African, American, and even Asian) that shaped the trade. Topics will include: early Portuguese activities along the African coast; the Spanish trade under the Asiento; relevant political developments in the various regions of Africa; the entry of the Dutch, English, and French; the relationships between specific parts of Africa and specific regions of the Americas; the operation of the various chartered monopolies; the effects of the slave trade on African demography, politics, and economic development; the era of 'free trade;' African resistance and rebellion; the rise of the abolitionist movement; the illegal trade; and the end of the trade.