Curtin, The Plantation Complex
The political, economic, and social implications of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade extended far beyond the Americas, according to Philip D. Curtin. In his essay "The Tropical Atlantic in the Age of the Slave Trade," Curtin addresses the shortcomings in approaching the slave trade as a purely pan-American phenomenon. Referring to the vast network of sugar and other cash crop plantations as a "complex," Curtin illustrates how the entire world, from Northern Europe to Australia to East Asia, was involved in or affected by the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Moreover, Curtin claims that although the trans-Atlantic slave trade culminated in the eighteenth century, its roots run much deeper in time and its repercussions were felt well into the 20th century. The earliest sugar plantations were not in fact in the Caribbean but rather in the Eastern Mediterranean. The plantation complex was "inextricably intertwined with sugar," (p. 3).
There are several features of the plantation "complex," according to Curtin, that place the phenomenon in a broader historical and temporal context. The plantation complex depended of course on forced labor. However, the population was not self-sustaining and therefore depended on a continual influx of new laborers (p. 2). The result was to dramatically alter the world's demographic features, and not only those of the Americas and Africa. The plantation complex was also an offshoot of feudalism; its structure resembled medieval feudal societies in which a land-owning master exerted authority over his subjects but who was at the same time subject to his own political master. Finally, Curtin shows how the creation of highly specialized goods transformed the global market system, encouraging or even forcing nations from all corners of the globe to participate in a massive network of trading. In the early days of the plantation complex, Europeans used silver mined in South America to purchase goods from India which were in turn used to purchase slaves in Africa; those slaves were imported as property to the plantations in the America to fuel the plantation economy. Curtin illustrates that ultimately the abolition of the slave trade was also linked to the "democratic revolutions" in France and the United States.
Port Negros # of ships Average/ship Africa (Calabar) 5 Congo 1 Gambia and Gold Coast 3 Gambia and Grain Coast 2 Angola 14 Gambia 7 Coast of Guinea 1 Windward and Gold Coast 4 Sierra Leone 1 Windward Coast 1 Senegal 2 Windward and Rice Coast 1 Windward and Grain Coast 1 Gambia and Windward Coast 1 Gold Coast 2 Grain and Gold Coast 1 Totals 10506 47 Mean average per port Weighted mean average per ship Based upon the article "Shipboard Revolts, African Authority, and the Atlantic Slave Trade," by David Richardson and Stephen Behrendt's article "Markets, Transaction Cycles, and Profits: Merchant Decision Making in the British Slave Trade" one
Question 2) Find the total number of shipments to VA from Bonny including mean average numbers. Bonny is a port located in the most eastern part of the Gulf of Guinea. It was considered to be a favorable place for transacting slave purchases. It attractiveness included: The ability to purchase yams for feeding the slaves on the middle passage, The predictability of slave availability based on the agricultural calendar The organized slave trade with
Slave trade of Indians and blacks began with Columbus but the overall slave trade was much worse and lasted later in history in Brazil Summary of slave trade in Brazil Quick Facts about Slave Trade in Brazil Firm connections with slavery in highlands People involved included Portugese, Luso Brazilians and the slaves themselves Like Columbus, killing and enslavement of indigenous peoples was common Some slaves escaped and hid in mocambos and quilombos Renegade Indians and escaped slaves
Essay Topic Examples 1. The Economics of the Transatlantic Slave Trade: Explore how the demand for labor-intensive products such as sugar, cotton, and tobacco in Europe fueled the transatlantic slave trade, examining the economic systems that supported this enterprise, the growth of European wealth, and the impact on African economies from the loss of population and societal disruption. 2. The Human Cost of Slavery: Personal Narratives and Accounts: Delve into
Discussion The focus of this work has been to answer the questions of: (1) How was the slave trade practiced in Europe and Africa before 1550, in comparison to the slave trade in and between the two regions after 1550?' And (2) 'What were the main differences between the two periods in terms of their origins, motivations and effects on African society?' These two time periods, before 1550 and after 1550 have
Slave Trade The author of this report is asked to answer several questions about the trans-Atlantic slave trade. First, there is the question of how important to African society and to the African economy the slave trade was. Second, there is the question of what roles the slaves served in African societies. Lastly, there will be a comparison of slavery in West Africa and the European slavery model that involved coercive
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now