The trade triangle
The transatlantic slave trade generally followed a triangular route. Traders
set out from European ports towards Africa's west coast. There they bought
people in exchange for goods and loaded them into the ships. The voyage itself
generally took 6 to 8 weeks. Once in the Americas, those Africans who had
survived the journey were off-loaded for sale and put to work as slaves. The
ships returned to Europe with goods such as sugar, coffee, tobacco, rice and
later cotton, which had been produced by slave labour.
The trade triangle
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The triangle, involving three continents, was complete. European capital,
African labour and American land and resources combined to supply a European
market.
The colonists in the Americas also made direct slaving voyages to Africa, which
did not follow the triangular route. This trade increased after 1800,
particularly from Brazil.
The story of the transatlantic slave trade is the story of people on all three continents, as well as the dreaded 'Middle Passage' voyage across the Atlantic to the Americas. Follow the links below to find out more.
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