Unit 3: The Secret Road to Freedom (1èreG_gr1)

 The Slave Trade

The document under study is from TED Education, published in 2014. It deals with the Atlantic slave trade. We have learned that it started in the middle of the 15^th century (1400s) and it ended in the 19^th century (1800s). It happened in Africa, North America and South America. There were more than 10 million slaves were deported. It all started with Portuguese colonies in West Africa and Spanish settlers in the Americas. Slavery not only had an impact on the slaves and its descendants but also on the economies and the histories of the countries involved in the process. In the new colonies, cotton, tobacco and sugar canes were cultivated. The first enslaved people were the Natives. However, they caught diseases brought by the Europeans and many of them died. Moreover, some others tried to protect themselves against the European settlers. As a result, the settlers decided to look for another work force in Africa.

In Africa, African leaders sold their slaves, their criminals and prisoners of wars to the white colonists in exchange of weapons and to enrich themselves.

Homework: Learn the lesson.