what caused the slave trade to escalate dramatically over the course of the 17th and 18th centuries

by Abbey Dicki 7 min read

Slavery in the 13 British colonies in America grew during the 17th century, largely because the labor force served as an economic engine for colonial prosperity. In 1619, when the first captive African immigrants arrived in America, they worked alongside white indentured servants in the Jamestown tobacco fields.

The expansion of plantation agriculture from Brazil into the Caribbean drove the expansion of the slave trade.

Full Answer

What caused the peak of the Atlantic slave trade?

The Atlantic slave trade peaked in the last two decades of the 18th century, during and following the Kongo Civil War. Wars among tiny states along the Niger River's Igbo -inhabited region and the accompanying banditry also spiked in this period.

Why did the slave trade decline in the 1800s?

Beyond issues of morality, another reason for the decline in the slave trade was simple economics. Slaves were an important part of the agricultural economies of many countries, especially in North America, but the onset of the industrial revolution made the manpower requirements that drove the slave trade increasingly obsolete.

What caused the rise of slavery in the 17th century?

Rise of Slavery in the Colonies in the 17th Century. Slavery in the 13 British colonies in America grew during the 17th century, largely because the labor force served as an economic engine for colonial prosperity.

What factors contributed to the success of the slave trade?

The military and naval strengths of competing nations were important factors in slave trading success, but it was not the only factor. In the first half of the 18th century the British Atlantic community became more integrated, allowing the trade in slaves to flourish.

Why did the slave trade increased in the 1700s?

Military strength and control of the trade were intertwined. At this time governments restricted which ships could trade with their colonies. Each European power restricted trade within their colony to benefit their own merchants. Conquest of colonies in the Americas led to an increased share of slave trading.

Why did slavery increase in the 18th century?

As a result of increased cotton production and the required labor, the slave population in cotton-growing regions greatly increased. The economic and political impact of the cotton gin was significant.

What caused an increase in slave trade?

As the demand for slaves increased with European colonial expansion in the New World, rising prices made the slave trade increasingly lucrative.

What was the major reason for the large increase in the number of slaves in the US in the 19th century?

This remarkable growth was the result of two factors: (1) continued importation of new slaves from Africa and the Caribbean; and (2) natural population growth, especially among American-born slaves, who lived longer lives and bore more children than African-born slaves.

What were three reasons for the growth of slavery?

High European demand for cash crops (Tobacco, sugar, and rice), Difficulty in enslaving Natives, and lack of indentured servants were the reasons for growth of slavery.

How did slavery change in the late 1700s?

By 1675 slavery was well established, and by 1700 slaves had almost entirely replaced indentured servants. With plentiful land and slave labor available to grow a lucrative crop, southern planters prospered, and family-based tobacco plantations became the economic and social norm.

Why did the trade in African slaves increase dramatically?

Trade in African slaves increased dramatically in the 7th century because Arab Muslims and Europeans began trading these slaves.

What was the condition of slave trade in the 17th century?

As the slave trade begin in 17th century, the slaves were bought from local chieftians. After branding and shackling, the slaves were packed tightly into voyage for the three month long wire across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. At the African coast, they were sold to plantation owners.

What drove the significant change in the slave trade between 1450 and 1750?

The explosive growth of the Atlantic slave trade was due mainly to the rise of plantation agriculture in the Americas. Plantation agriculture began with sugar production in Portuguese Brazil and later expanded into Spanish, British, French, and Dutch colonies in the Caribbean.

How did a high enslaved population in the Southern states threaten the people of the northern states?

How did a high enslaved population in the southern states threaten the people of the northern states? It meant the exported crops would primarily come from the South. It made it much harder to put an end to slavery. It pressured the free states to reconsider the issue of slavery.

How did the Industrial Revolution affect slavery?

It was part of the Industrial Revolution and made cotton into a profitable crop. Cotton planting expanded exponentially and with it, the demand for slaves. The South was thus wedded even more firmly to slave labor to sustain its way of life.

How did the market revolution affect slavery?

As northern textile factories boomed, the demand for southern cotton swelled and the institution of American slavery accelerated. Northern subsistence farmers became laborers bound to the whims of markets and bosses.

Profitable Tobacco Exports

Image
Tobacco was the first crop grown on large farms called plantations, starting in the 1600s. Plantation owners saw an opportunity to get rich by exploiting slaves. Thousands of slaves were acquired to clear land, transplant seedlings, hoe the fields, harvest the crop and pack cured tobacco for shipment. Tobacco productio…
See more on theclassroom.com

Lucrative Rice Production

  • By 1690, harvesting rice was big business in the South. Colonists had little success growing rice until slaves from rice-growing areas in West Africa taught them cultivation techniques. Growing conditions in South Carolina and Georgia are similar to Sierra Leone, which made slaves from those areas highly desirable and more expensive at auctions. Trusted slaves were appointed as …
See more on theclassroom.com

Societal Acceptance of Slavery

  • Defenders of slavery in the 1600s professed that the slave industry was morally defensible. Slaveholders suggested they were being virtuous by converting pagan heathens to Christianity. Some Christians also argued that slavery was acceptable because Jesus never spoke out against it and Abraham owned slaves, according to their interpretation of the ...
See more on theclassroom.com

Slavery in The Northern Colonies

  • Although less prevalent than in the South, slavery was also widespread in New England and the Mid-Atlantic colonies during the 17th century. In fact, Massachusetts was the first colony to legalize slavery in 1641. Northern doctors and affluent merchants acquired live-in slaves to help with housekeeping and childcare. The Medford Historical Society says that Northerners turned t…
See more on theclassroom.com