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ScotlandHistory

British context: The Atlantic Slave Trade, 1770-1807

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How were people captured in West Africa and how did the trade affect African societies?

Capture in West Africa and its effects: how enslaved people were captured and brought to the coast, the role of European traders and African intermediaries, and the impact of the trade on African societies.
How enslaved people were captured in West Africa and the trade's effects on African societies: capture through raids and warfare, the journey to the coast and the holding forts, the roles of European and African traders, and the damage the trade did to populations and communities.
12 min answer →

What was life like for enslaved people on the plantations of the Caribbean?

Life on the plantations: the sale of enslaved people, the work on sugar plantations, living conditions, the system of control and punishment, and the role of the planters and overseers.
What life was like for enslaved people on Caribbean sugar plantations: the sale on arrival, the hard labour of the sugar gangs, living conditions, the harsh system of control and punishment used by planters and overseers, and the loss of freedom.
12 min answer →

How did enslaved people resist slavery, and why was large-scale revolt so difficult?

Resistance by enslaved people: everyday forms of resistance, running away, the survival of African culture, and organised revolts, together with why large-scale rebellion was so difficult and dangerous.
How enslaved people resisted slavery: everyday resistance such as slow work and sabotage, running away and forming free communities, keeping African culture alive, and organised revolts, plus why large-scale rebellion was so difficult against an armed, fearful planter class.
12 min answer →

Why was the slave trade abolished in 1807, and why was abolition opposed?

The abolition campaign: the work of the campaigners and their methods, the arguments for and against abolition, the reasons opponents defended the trade, and the abolition of the British slave trade in 1807.
Why the British slave trade was abolished in 1807: the campaigners and their methods, the moral, religious and economic arguments for abolition, the reasons planters and merchants opposed it, the role of resistance and changing attitudes, and the passing of the 1807 Act.
12 min answer →

What were conditions like for enslaved people on the Middle Passage?

The Middle Passage: the conditions of the Atlantic crossing for enslaved people, including overcrowding, disease, cruelty and high death rates, and why ships were packed so tightly.
Conditions for enslaved people on the Middle Passage, the Atlantic crossing of the slave trade: overcrowding through tight packing, disease, lack of food and water, cruelty and high death rates, and why slave traders packed ships so densely.
12 min answer →

How did the triangular trade work and why was Britain so heavily involved?

The triangular trade and Britain's role: the three legs of the trade between Britain, West Africa and the Americas, the goods exchanged at each stage, and why British ports and merchants profited.
How the triangular trade in enslaved African people worked: the three legs linking British ports, West Africa and the plantations of the Americas, the goods traded at each stage, and why ports such as Liverpool, Bristol and Glasgow profited from it.
12 min answer →