Arrival in the Americas

¤ WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE SLAVES WHO SURVIVED THE MIDDLE PASSAGE?

SLAVES WHO SURVIVED THE
JOURNEY ACROSS THE
ATLANTIC WERE TAKEN TO THE
BRITISH COLONIES IN
AMERICA, TO THE ISLANDS OF
THE CARIBBEAN OR TO
SPANISH COLONIES IN SOUTH
AMERICA.

WHEN THEY ARRIVED THEY

WERE FIRST SOLD AT AN
AUCTION
 The ship that brought Kunta
Kinte to America was also
getting ready to take
tobacco back to London

POSTERS AND NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENTS WERE MADE WHEN A

SHIP ARRIVED WITH A NEW CARGO OF AFRICANS
 WHAT WAS A SLAVE AUCTION LIKE?

WHAT IS AN AUCTION?
How does an auction work?
 The auctioneer

THE PLANTATION OWNERS WOULD CALL OUT A PRICE TO THE AUCTIONEER. THE PRICE WOULD
INCREASE UNTIL BIDS STOPPED. THE FINAL BID WAS ACCEPTED AND THE BIDDER WOULD PAY
CASH FOR HIS NEW SLAVE.

BEFORE THE AUCTION STARTED, BUYERS WOULD
LOOK CAREFULLY AT EACH AFRICAN, LOOKING
FOR SIGNS OF ILLNESS OR WEAKNESS. THEY WOULD
CHECK THEIR TEETH AND LOOK FOR ANY INJURIES
THAT THE SLAVE SHIP CAPTAIN WOULD TRY TO HIDE
WITH TAR.
BUYING A SLAVE WAS NOT CHEAP. OFTEN THEY
WERE BOUGHT FOR WHAT WOULD BE
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN TODAY’S PRICES.
OFTEN THE AFRICANS WERE NOT IN GOOD
HEALTH OR HAD INJURIES FROM THE JOURNEY.
THESE HAD TO BE HIDDEN FROM THE CUSTOMERS.
SOMETIMES THE SLAVES WERE GIVEN OPIUM OR
ALCOHOL TO MAKE THEM SEEM CALMER OR
MORE MORE ALERT
WHEN AN OWNER HAD BOUGHT A NEW SLAVE HE OFTEN GAVE THEM A NEW NAME. SOMETIMES THEY WERE STUPID NAMES
DESIGNED TO MAKE THE SLAVE SOUND LIKE AN ANIMAL OR IN SOME WAY DEMEAN THEM
PUT TO WORK
What sort of work were the slaves made to do?
TYPES OF WORK IN THE AMERICAS

¤ FARM LABOUR

¤ MILLING AND PROCESSING SUGAR AND COTTON

¤ DOMESTIC SERVICE
MOST SLAVES BECAME FIELD HANDS AND WERE USED TO FARM THE CASH
CROPS OF SUGAR AND TOBACCO. BOTH CROPS REQUIRED A LOT OF
HEAVY LABOUR AND THE WORK WAS HARD IN HARSH CONDITIONS
THE PROCESSING OF SUGAR CAN TO EXTRACT THE JUICE
AND TURN IT INTO SUGAR CRYSTALS, MOLASSES OR RUM
WAS HOT, DANGEROUS WORK THAT HAD TO BE DONE
VERY QUICKLY TO STOP THE SUGAR GOING BAD. SLAVES
OFTEN WORKED 18 OR 20 HOURS A DAY DURING HARVEST
THE INVENTION BY ELI WHITNEY OF
THIS MACHINE, THE COTTON GIN IN
1794 MEANT THAT COTTON COULD
BE MORE EASILY PROCESSED ON
PLANTATIONS. IT LEAD TO A HUGE
INCREASE IN COTTON GROWING IN
THE SOUTHERN PARTS OF AMERICA.
IT ALSO LED TO A HUGE INCREASE
IN SLAVES BOUGHT TOFARM
COTTON.
 COTTON PLANTATIONS ALSO REQUIRED
LONG HOURS OF BACK BREAKING WORK.
SLAVES WERE PUNISHED IF THEY DID NOT
PICK THE CORRECT QUANTITY EACH DAY.

ACCOMODATION AND FOOD WERE VERY BASIC.

MOST SLAVES DID NOT LIVE LONG UNDER THESE
CONDITIONS
FOR OVER TWO HUNDRED YEARS VALUABLE
CROPS SUCH AS TOBACCO, SUGAR AND
COTTON WERE MADE IN THE AMERICAS AND
SHIPPED BACK TO BRITAIN AND THE REST OF
EUROPE CREATING VAST PROFITS FOR BRITISH
MERCHANTS, TRADERS AND PORT CITIES.
PLANTATION OWNERS OFTEN HAD VERY LARGE
HOUSES FOR THEIR FAMILIES. SOME SLAVES WERE
EMPLOYED AS SERVANTS IN THE HOUSE AND
GARDEN. THEY WERE KNOWN AS HOUSE SLAVES
AND WERE OFTEN TRUSTED TO BRING UP THE
OWNER’S CHILDREN.

HOUSE SLAVES
CONTROLLING THE SLAVES
HOW DID THE PLANTATION OWNERS KEEP CONTROL OVER THE SLAVE WORK FORCE?
THE PLANTATION OWNERS
WOULD EMPLOY AN OVERSEER
TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SLAVES
WORKED HARD. HE WOULD USE
VIOLENCE AND FEAR TO
CONTROL THEM
VERY HARSH PUNISHMENTS WERE USED FOR THE SLIGHTEST MISTAKE. THEY WERE SEVERE IN ORDER TO SET
AN EXAMPLE TO THE REST OF THE SLAVES AND BREAK THEIR SPIRIT OF RESISTANCE.