Slave Trade - SC Question

Slave trade - SC

Question 1) Find the NY total numbers from Africa and which locations if indicated, including mean average numbers.

There are at least two ways to answer this question depending upon how you interpret the question. The two variables -- "total numbers" and "from Africa" could mean different things to different people. "Total numbers" could mean either total number of slaves or total number of ships. "From Africa" could be defined as directly from Africa or "from Africa" with stops along the way, which, might be listed as Jamaica. It is also possible that a ship labeled Jamaica could have originate in Jamaica since this country served as central hub for smaller ships to transport slaves to other locations in British America.

If you hold "from Africa " constant with the definition as only those ships listed as Africa, the total number of slaves would be 995 slaves. If you decide that "total numbers" means the number of ships, the answer is eighteen ships. Under this scenario, the mean average of slaves per ship would be 55.

If you were to hold "from Africa" constant with the definition of all ship having come through Africa with or without stops at other ports, the number of slaves would be 4146 and the number of ships would be 578. In this scenario, the mean average of ships would be seven.

Like the phases "from Africa" and "the total number," "mean average could be interpreted differently: is it the mean average of slaves per ship (as used in the two previous scenarios) or is it the mean number of ships per year or the mean number of slaves per year? Another question to consider was the direction the ship was traveling and their reason for being in NY. Was the ship returning to Britain or on its' way south to other colonies? Was the ship in port at NY to sell slaves or to obtain trade goods?

Question one is difficult to answer. The lack of specificity in the question allows for multiple interpretations. The historian must create a set of assumptions to apply to each scenario in order to provide specific answers.

Question 2) Find the total numbers and mean averages of slaves from each African port for South Carolina between 1735-1760.

Question two is much more specific. The total number of slaves by ports and number of ships is listed in the table below. This information also was adequate in addressing the mean averages.

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 could possibly account for the range of slaves per ship and the variations between ports. The slave trade was a business dependent upon the matching of supply and demand in several industries. The ability to secure a vessel, sailors, carpenters and coopers determined, the timing of a ship's departure, the size of the ship, the number of slaves which could be transported and the amount of goods available to trade.

Slave trading was also dependent upon the agricultural activities in both Africa and in the British Americas. For example, in the Bight of Biafra slaves were needed to plant and harvest the yam crops and could only be available for trade after this work was completed. The ship's captain was under pressure to obtain their slaves as quickly as possible. A delay in filling their cargo could result in slave rebellions while in port and the possibility of arriving to late to market in British America resulting in a lower price per slave. The port of Bonny was a preferred location to trade because it had a predictable agricultural and there were established slave merchants who provided a steady supply of slaves from internal Africa. Again, supply of slaves needed to meet the demand for slaves in a timely fashion.