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Some key facts about the transatlantic slave trade
The transatlantic slave trade precipitated many changes across West
Africa, Britain and the Caribbean and people’s lives changed
irrevocably as a result. The Key facts illustrates the vast numbers
of people involved at different points in the history, as well as
other key numerical facts. There is a timeline in Learning
resources, which details the history starting from AD
700.
the duration of the transatlantic slave trade
West African people were forcibly displaced from their homes
Britain was the largest European slave-trading nation
British ships captured and transported approximately 2.8 million West African people across the Atlantic Ocean
moored for 4-6 months on the West African coast during the second part of the trading journey
West Africa to the Caribbean - the Middle Passage - sometimes took more than eight weeks
is the total amount of width space one man had in a ship's hold: he had to lie on his side with only 2'7" of headroom
West African people died during the Middle Passage
could take a year to complete and, on average, 20% of slave ships’ crew-members died during this period
of sugar cane was exported from the Caribbean during the period of slavery
captured died within the first three years of their life on a plantation
there were 200 enslaved men, women and children living on plantations
more than 400,000 Britons were refusing to eat plantation- grown sugar following campaigns by the abolition movement
the slave trade was abolished in and to British colonies by an Act of Parliament
ended slavery in British colonies. It was abolished in North America at the end of the Civil War in 1865
the population of Africa was about 25 million. If slavery had not been instituted, it may have been 46-53 million
was paid to plantation owners when slavery was abolished in the Caribbean but freed slaves received nothing