zuai-logo

Capture and the Impact of the Slave Trade on West African Societies

Ryan Lee

Ryan Lee

8 min read

Listen to this study note

Study Guide Overview

This study guide covers the Atlantic Slave Trade (capture, coastal waiting, Middle Passage, final passage), the destabilization of West Africa (violence, coastal vs. interior states, societal impacts), and slave narratives (features, purposes, key authors like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Olaudah Equiano, and Phillis Wheatley). It also reviews key sources like Phillis Wheatley's poem and Olaudah Equiano's narrative. Finally, it provides exam tips including focusing on high-priority topics, common question types, and last-minute strategies.

AP African American Studies: Night Before Review 🚀

Hey! Let's make sure you're feeling super confident for tomorrow. We're going to break down the key stuff, connect the dots, and get you ready to rock this exam! 💪

1. The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Journey of Horrors 🚢

The Three-Part Journey

The journey of enslaved Africans was a brutal three-stage process. Remember it as CCC: Capture, Coastal Waiting, and Crossing (Middle Passage), followed by Continued Servitude in the Americas. Each step was horrific and designed to dehumanize.

Key Concept

Capture and March

**: Africans were captured through raids, warfare, and kidnapping, then forced on long marches to the coast. 🚶🏽‍♀️🚶🏾‍♂️ * **Coastal Dungeons**: Held in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions while awaiting ships. Think of places like Elmina Castle. 🏰 * **
Key Concept

Middle Passage

**: The horrific voyage across the Atlantic. Packed ships, disease, and death were rampant. 💀 * **Final Passage**: Arrival in the Americas, quarantine, resale, and transport to places of enslavement. 🔄

Elmina Castle


Elmina Castle, a key site in the Atlantic slave trade, where captives were held before the Middle Passage.

Capture and Coastal Waiting

  • Methods of Capture: Kidnapping, warfare, and slave raids by rival African kingdoms and European traders. ⚔️
  • Grueling Marches: Hundreds of miles, with high mortality due to exhaustion, starvation, and disease. 😥
  • Coastal Dungeons: Overcrowded, unsanitary conditions led to rampant disease and death. 🦠

Middle Passage Horrors

Key Concept

Brutal Conditions

**: Packed ships, chained captives, little room to move. ⛓️ * **Disease and Death**: Dysentery, smallpox, and other diseases spread rapidly. 🤒 * **Abuse and Humiliation**: Beatings, torture, and sexual abuse by crew members. 💔 * **Resistance**: Suicide attempts and revolts, though rarely successful. ✊🏾

Slave Ship Diagram


Diagram of a slave ship, illustrating the cramped and inhumane conditions of the Middle Passage.

Final Passage to Servitude

  • Quarantine: To prevent the spread of disease to local populations. ⚠️
  • Resale: Enslaved Africans were sold at markets and transported to various locations. 💰
  • Separation: Families were often separated, further disrupting social structures. 💔
Practice Question

*...

Previous Topic - Departure Zones in Africa and the Slave Trade to the United StatesNext Topic - African Resistance on Slave Ships and the Antislavery Movement

Question 1 of 12

The journey of enslaved Africans involved a series of brutal stages. What's the correct order of the first three?

Crossing, Coastal Waiting, Capture

Capture, Crossing, Coastal Waiting

Coastal Waiting, Capture, Crossing

Capture, Coastal Waiting, Crossing