6.3.1

The Slave Trade

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The Triangular Trade

Britain lost control of her North American colonies, but still controlled important colonies in the Caribbean. These colonies were at the centre of the slave trade, which brought Britain great wealth.

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Sugar

  • Many British settlers in the Caribbean established vast sugar plantations, where they grew sugar which was then refined and exported to Britain.
  • Increasing demand for sugar in Britain meant increasing amounts of sugar needed to be produced in the Caribbean.
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West African slaves

  • But these British settlers needed workers to turn the sugar cane into refined, granulated sugar.
  • This was a time-consuming and laborious job, requiring a lot of labour.
  • Many of the native population of the Caribbean had been killed by European diseases, and the British were not prepared to do the work themselves.
  • So they resorted to using slaves from West Africa.
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The triangular trade

  • This resulted in the creation of the triangular trade.
  • Goods were transported from Britain to West Africa and exchanged for captured West Africans.
  • They would then be transported as slaves to the Caribbean and exchanged for rum or sugar which would be transported back to England.
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Atlantic crossing

  • Over 3 million Africans were enslaved by the British and forcibly taken to the Caribbean.
  • If they survived the terrible journey across the Atlantic, these slaves lived harsh lives, doing intense manual labour on the sugar plantations, which made the European plantation owners rich.
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Wealth

  • The triangular trade brought great wealth to British port cities, such as Bristol and Liverpool, and marked the beginning of a period in which Britain would come to dominate world trade.

Jump to other topics

1Empires East & West: 1000 AD

1.1The Rise & Fall of Ancient China’s Empire

1.2The Medieval Greatness of the Byzantine Empire

1.3The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire

1.4The Politics & Power of the Holy Roman Empire

1.5Medieval Religion

1.6The Influence of the Church in Medieval Times

1.7How Religion Tested the Power of Kings

1.8Dynastic Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.9Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.10Revolts, Rebellions & Rights

1.11Medieval England & Her Neighbours

1.12European Renaissance

1.13Norman Conquest & Control

1.14Historical Skills

2The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

2.1Anglo-Saxon England

2.2The Contest for the English Throne

2.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

2.4King John

2.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

2.6The Black Death

3Worldviews

4The Empire of Mali: 1076-1670 AD

5The Renaissance & Reformations: 1500-1598 AD

6The British Empire: 1583-1960 AD

7The Peasants' Revolt: 1381 AD

8Religion in the Middle Ages

9Slavery: 1619-1833 AD

10The English Civil War: 1642-1660 AD

11The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1840 AD

12US Independence: 1775-1783 AD

13The French Revolution: 1789-1815 AD

14The British Empire: 1857–1930 AD

15Suffrage: 1840-1928 AD

16World War 1: 1914-1918 AD

17The Inter-War Years: 1919-1939 AD

18World War 2: 1939-1945 AD

19The Cold War: 1947-1962 AD

20Civil Rights in the USA: 1954-1975 AD

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