Il commercio atlantico degli schiavi

New Approaches to the Americas

by Herbert S. Klein

The book examines the four hundred years of the Atlantic slave trade, covering the West and East African experiences, as well as all the American colonies and republics that obtained slaves from Africa. It outlines both the common features of this trade and the local differences that developed. It discusses the slave trade's economics, politics, demographic impact, and cultural implications in relationship to Africa as well as America. Finally, it places the slave trade in the context of world trade and examines the role it played in the growing relationship between Asia, Africa, Europe, and America.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Africa, Race, The United States Of America

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 1999

Reviews

[David Petersheim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I knew something about slavery in the Americas until I read this book. I knew next to nothing. If you have any interest in the subject, you should read this. This is not a book about slavery, this is a book about the business of trading slaves. Specifically the Atlantic slave trade, although the Asian slave trade is discussed to a small degree.

The Atlantic slave trade is discussed from several perspectives: Africa, The Americas, The West Indies, and Europe. This is refreshing since most of what I've read in the past has been from a North American perspective.

The facts and numbers behind the Atlantic slave trade are presented without sentiment or emotion which is sometimes jarring but in the end appreciated.

Great book, enlightening.

[Robert Bergstrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

After last summer's BLM protests, I realized that I know very little about the history of slavery. This book covers the three sided slave trade from Africa to the Americas and back to Europe, from the beginnings after 1492 to the end of slave trading in the late 1800s.
There are detailed records as this was a money making business, the book assembles details of the countries involved, numbers of slaves, ships, sailors, captains, and death rates. The book is a rather dry and academic, not as emotionally impactful as I had expected, but loaded with facts and interpretations.
The Africa to America slave trade took advantage of the existing African slave trade, the Europeans finding it easiest to buy slaves from African traders. The countries involved included Spain, Portugal, England, Holland, France, and other European states to a lesser degree. Slaves were shipped to South America, esp Brazil, the Caribbean islands, and North America.
Slaves were used as the labor force on plantations in the Americas: Sugar plantations in the Caribbean and Brazil, cotton plantations in the Southern US, tobacco in the midatlantic US.
In the prior world history of slavery, slaves had seldom been used as a primary work force in an economic system, but mostly as domestic servants or farm workers, who often had opportunities to buy or earn their freedom. American plantations could not have existed without slave labor.
Initially European countries established forts or trading factories along the coast of Africa, but these were expensive to maintain and the model changed to free trading by investors. Typically a slave ship brought European trade goods to Africa, and spent 3-6 months buying and loading slaves. Many slaves died of diseases while waiting in crowded conditions. On board the slaves had only a few square feet of space. Death rates were roughly 10-15%, sometimes much higher. Compare this to a death rate for European immigrants to the Americas of 1% or less.
After arrival in America it often took a month to sell all the slaves, often they were sold on credit. The captains usually left half the crew in the New World as it was cheaper to get back to Europe with a smaller crew. It took up to six years for the investors to make their money back, and if the ship was lost at sea, the investors lost their money.
Abolitionists found the Atlantic slave trade to be the weak link in the chain, due to high death rates among the Africans, and terrible conditions even for the sailors. England banned slave trading around 1800, and later the British Navy carried out search and seizure operations on slave traders from other countries. Thus the slave trade was ended much earlier than slavery itself.
The author does not discuss the moral implications of slavery, I suppose as this is indefensible.
Slavery is an integral part of the cruel, dark history of Europe and the Americas, which we need to acknowledge before there can be healing.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a comprehensive book on the transatlantic slave trade from its development through the abolition of slavery. Klein concentrates on 400 years of slavery and the role of western nations that perpetuated the trade but also puts the trade in context with slavery around the world. Besides the development of the slave trade, the author examines in separate chapters, the labor demand, a look at Africa at the time of the trade, then hones in on European and African organization of the slave trade. A vital chapter in the book details the experience of the middle passage. Finally, the author looks at the social and cultural impacts of the trade in the Americas and the ending of the British and the American trade.

Klien supports his thesis with an array of resources including quantifiable data. This will be a great reference for anyone studying the transatlantic slave trade.

[Margot M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si occupa del commercio degli schiavi e della sua evoluzione nel corso dei secoli della colonizzazione. È ricco di dati, il che può essere visto in maniera positiva o negativa in base al motivo per cui si legge l'opera. Personalmente li ho trovati eccessivi, leggere continuamente numeri e statistiche mi ha affaticato molto nella lettura che è risultata poco scorrevole; d'altra parte, sono stati utili per avere ben chiara la portata di questo fenomeno

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely handy overview and synthesis of the Atlantic slave trade from the 1500s to abolition, heavily focused on economics and quantitative data. I found it very useful for teaching.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good synthesis of the state of Atlantic World slavery studies up to 1999 when Klein published it. This would be an excellent overview for students or general readers looking to learn the general outline of the slave trade from the 1450s to the late nineteenth century. Klein covers the background conceptions and types of slavery in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa before walking the reader through the arrival of Europeans in the pre-existing African trade networks (goods and slaves). He then traces the comparative development of various styles of plantation slavery in the Americas while keeping those colonial ventures within the broader African and European context. He closes by discussing briefly the convergence of African and American cultures.ii

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Atlantic Slave Trade dispassionately examines the four hundred years of Atlantic slave trade, covering the West and East African experiences, as well as all the American colonies and republics that obtained slaves from Africa. I was interested in the comparison of the current state of scholarly knowledge of forced African migration and what are popular beliefs. The end chapter describes the development of the British abolitionist movement and the steps taken by the British crown to stop the cross Atlantic trade in enslaved individuals.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed factual analysis of the economics of the Atlantic Slave Trade. If you are looking for a work on the human tragedy of that traffic in human beings look elsewhere because this is primarily a treatment of the trade as a monetary phenomenon. Also look elsewhere for accounts of resistance to the trade and the struggle against it because this is a recounting of how the trade itself functioned and made (or in some cases did not make) a profit for investors.

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for personal research. I found this work of immense interest.
This work was one of my resource sources while ghost authoring the historical fiction novel "I, Slave: 1746-1963" for E.MH Ratterman.
I found this book's contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs.
Overall, this work is also a good resource for the researcher and enthusiast.