African slave trade facts for kids

The African slave trade was a sad period in history. During this time, people from Africa were captured and sold as slaves around the world. This meant they were treated as property, forced to work without pay, and had no freedom.

The first major route for this trade went across the Sahara desert. This was known as the Trans-Saharan slave trade.

Later, after a time called the Age of Exploration (when Europeans explored many new parts of the world), the trade changed. African people were then taken across the Atlantic Ocean. This became known as the Atlantic slave trade. This type of slavery is what many people think of when they hear about slavery in modern history.

Even though slavery is against the law in most places today, it still happens in some parts of the world, including Africa. For example, in the country of Mauritania, slavery was only made illegal in August 2007.

What Was the African Slave Trade?

The African slave trade involved capturing people from different parts of Africa. These people were then sold and forced to work for others. This trade happened for many centuries. It caused huge suffering and loss of life.

Early Slave Routes

Before the Atlantic slave trade, there were other routes. One important route went across the Sahara Desert. This trade connected West Africa with North Africa and the Middle East. People were often taken from their homes and marched long distances.

Another route was along the East African coast. Here, people were traded across the Indian Ocean. They were sent to places like the Middle East, India, and even parts of Asia.

The Atlantic Slave Trade

The Atlantic slave trade began around the 1500s. It grew much larger than the earlier trades. European traders bought enslaved Africans and shipped them across the Atlantic Ocean. They were taken to the Americas and the Caribbean.

Why Did It Happen?

European colonies in the Americas needed many workers. They wanted to grow crops like sugar, tobacco, and cotton. They also needed people to work in mines. Enslaved Africans were forced to do this hard labor.

The Middle Passage

The journey across the Atlantic was terrible. It was called the "Middle Passage." Enslaved people were packed tightly onto ships. They had very little food or water. Many died from disease, hunger, or mistreatment during the journey.

Life as an Enslaved Person

Once they arrived, enslaved Africans were sold at markets. Their lives were extremely difficult. They were forced to work long hours. They had no rights and could be punished severely. Families were often separated and sold to different owners.

Ending the Slave Trade

Over time, more and more people realized that slavery was wrong. Groups began to fight for its end. This movement was called abolitionism.

Abolition Movements

In the late 1700s and 1800s, many countries started to ban the slave trade. Great Britain banned it in 1807. The United States followed in 1808. However, slavery itself continued in many places for decades longer.

Final Abolition

Slavery was finally abolished in the British Empire in 1833. In the United States, it ended after the Civil War in 1865. Brazil was one of the last countries in the Americas to abolish slavery, doing so in 1888.

Impact of the Slave Trade

The African slave trade had a huge and lasting impact. It deeply affected Africa, the Americas, and Europe.

Impact on Africa

The slave trade caused great harm to African societies. Millions of strong, young people were taken away. This led to a loss of population and slowed down development. It also caused wars and instability as groups fought over control of the trade.

Impact on the Americas

Enslaved Africans and their descendants built much of the wealth in the Americas. They brought their cultures, music, and traditions. However, they faced discrimination and hardship for centuries. The legacy of slavery still affects societies today.

Images for kids

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  The main slave routes in medieval Africa

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  A group of enslaved people in Zanzibar (1889)

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  Enslaved Malagasy people carrying Queen Ranavalona I of Madagascar

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  Nubians waiting to be sold at a slave market in ancient Egypt.

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  Release of Christian slaves by payment of ransom by Catholic monks in Algiers in 1661.

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  Burning of a Village in Africa, and Capture of its Inhabitants (1859)

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  Christian slavery in Barbary.

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  Black people captured in a slave raid being marched to a slave market in the Arab world.

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  A 'servant-slave' woman in Mogadishu (1882–1883)

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  Slaves in Ethiopia, 19th century.

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  A slave market in Khartoum, around 1876

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  Elderly female slave, around 1911-1915, owned by Njapundunke, mother of the Bamum king Ibrahim Njoya

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  Homann Heirs map of the slave trade in West Africa (1743)

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  A slave trader of Gorée, around 1797

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  Zanzibari slave trader Tippu Tip owned 10,000 slaves.

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  The Door of No Return in Ouidah. This is a memorial to the slave trade.

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  Swahili-Arab slave traders and their captives along the Ruvuma River in Mozambique, 19th century

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  African slaves working in 17th-century Virginia, by an unknown artist, 1670

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  Jean-Baptiste Debret's drawing of enslaved persons in Brazil (1839)

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  Slave trade along the Senegal River, kingdom of Cayor

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  Slave trade out of Africa, 1500–1900

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  Photograph of a slave boy in Zanzibar. 'An Arab master's punishment for a slight offence.' around 1890.

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  Cowrie shells were used as money in the slave trade

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  Two slightly different Okpoho Manillas used to purchase slaves

See also

In Spanish: Esclavitud en África para niños