Trading on the

West African
Coast

Miss Mya

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Organisation of the Trade
of Captive African

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How long do you think the trip to West

Africa took for the European powers?

Two to Six months
Companies organised ships, crews, provisions and

trade goods for the journey. Ships left port Bristol,

Liverpool, and London in England and Nantes and

Bordeaux in France. Items used to purchase

African’s included pots and pans, cotton and

woollen items, mirrors, cheap jewellery, firearms

and alcohol
Let's look up these places
on Google Earth
https://earth.google.com
• Bristol port in England
• Liverpool port in England
• Bordeaux port in France
Liverpool’s Port Dock
Bordeaux in France.
Trading On the
West African
Coast

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 Captives were obtained
through raids, prisoners of
war, barter, debt and criminals
• On the West African coast “factories” or forts were established to collect,

organise and process captives and protect or secure the trade of the coast. A

‘factor’ (middleman) was responsible for overseeing the administration of

the fort.

• A famous factory was the Elmina, a coastal fort in what is now Ghana. This

was a Portuguese slave fort built in 1482 and seized by the Dutch in 1637.
• The captured Africans would be marched to the coast in a coffle.

• Coffle: an Arabic word meaning a line of captive people fastened by the neck or feet.

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 White middlemen would pay bribes and taxes to rulers for safe

passage.

The captives were washed and branded and kept in the ‘barracoons’ until the ship

was ready. Then they were taken in small boats to the waiting ships to be bought to

the Caribbean.
The Middle Passage

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The middle passage is described as the

most horrible stage of the triangular trade.

Why do you think that is?

Take a look at the following pictures and
describe what you see.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC
Captives were crammed together and chained on floors below deck
for the six to eight-week journey.

They became disorientated and fearful and some attempted suicide.

They endured abuse, poor ventilation and sanitation, brutal

treatment, disease, hunger, thirst and a lack of exercise but they did
not make attempts to resist.
During stormy weather or emergencies, to lighten the ship, weak,
sick and dying captives were thrown overboard.
Summary Questions

In your own words, explain why the middle passage can be

Explain described as “the most horrible’ stage of the triangular trade.

In your own words describe the experience of a captive from

Describe capture to arrival at the fort.

List List European items that were used to purchase captive Africans.
Arrival in the
Caribbean Port
Afrikaanse aankoms in die Karibiese
Eilande

On arrival to the
Caribbean, the enslaved
were treated well They were washed and
compared to when they prepared for sale.
were in the forts and on
the ship.
They were fed and allowed to relax, for the sole purpose and making sure
that they were in the best conditions to be sold in the slave market.

In St.Domingue, they were often given liquor to make them cheerful.

In Martinique, they would bathe in the sea and rub their bodies with palm
oil.

In Jamaica, the sick slaves were bathed in water with ‘curative herbs’
(bush bath), and given two meals a day and rum to drink
In a scramble, a signal would be given, such as a drum beat, and the buyers
would rush among the slaves, choosing the ones they wanted and having
them dragged away at one.

An auction was conducted in the usual way? Have you ever seen or been to
an auction? Describe what occurs.
• Slaves were brought up on a platform and the buyers would bid for one
or several at a time.

• The planter rarely paid the full price at once; instead, he would buy on
credit, paying a quarter of the price in cash or goods with the rest to be
paid off within a year to 18 months.
• The slaves who were not sold, either
because of illness or deformities or some
other reason, were simply left in the ports,
often to die.
Personal
Experiences of
Enslavement
Olaudah Equiano

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 Student’s Independent
Work Time!

Research the following names: Mary Price, Ottobah Cugoano or Zamba Zembola
 Olaudah Equiano was an African writer who was enslaved.
After he was freed, he wrote about what it was like to be
enslaved.

Olaudah was born in an Ebo/Ibo village in what is now

Benin (in Nigeria). Historians think that Olaudah was born
around 1745. However, here are no records of his date of
birth so no one is sure of the exact date.
Key Points

He was the son of an Ibo/Ebo slave trader.

He was kidnapped at the age of 11 and sold in to slavery

in Barbados and then sold to a Virginian planter.
 In 1754 he was bought by a
British Naval captain, who
renamed him Gustavus Vassa

As an enslaved seaman, he
Key Points

learnt how to read and write

and became a Methodist.

He was freed for war service

and re-enslaved and sent to
Montserrat in 1762.

He bought his freedom in 1766

Think About It and for the rest of his life
ItDid
wasYou for enslavers to change enslaved people’sworking
Know…?
common names. Whyto
doend
you slavery.
think they enslaved
Not many did this? people were taught to read and write.
 Student’s Independent
Work Time!

Complete activity 2.6 on page 49 in your textbook.