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1490
Portuguese Islands populated with enslaved Black Africans
The Portuguese enslave Africans on their islands near West Africa. Some Africans are taken back to Portugal as slaves. https://www.britannica.com/summary/Transatlantic-Slave-Trade-Timeline
Image: https://www.dw.com/en/portugal-commemoration-transatlantic-slave-trade/a-56976093 -
1502
Spanish take Africans to the Caribbean
The Spanish begin capturing Africans and taking them to the Caribbean islands as slaves. https://www.britannica.com/topic/transatlantic-slave-trade
Image: https://www.britannica.com/topic/slave-trade -
The Dutch Engage in Slave Trade
The Dutch participate heavily in capturing and enslaving Africans. https://www.britannica.com/topic/transatlantic-slave-trade
Image: https://www.historicalmaterialism.org/blog/dutch-capitalism-and-slavery -
30,000 Enslaved Per Year
By the 1690s, slave trade in Africa reached 30,000 Africans captured and traded per year https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teaching-resource/historical-context-facts-about-slave-trade-and-slavery#:~:text=The%20volume%20of%20slaves%20carried,leaving%20Africa%20in%20slave%20ships. -
Majority of Slaves Brough to North America
Between 1720 and 1780, the majority of enslaved Africans were being brought to North America. This is more than the amount that were being transported to other countries. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teaching-resource/historical-context-facts-about-slave-trade-and-slavery#:~:text=The%20volume%20of%20slaves%20carried,leaving%20Africa%20in%20slave%20ships. -
Slave Trade Act
in 1788, an act was established that regulated the conditions aboard British slave ships. This limited the number of slaves that were permitted to be transported on one ship. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teaching-resource/historical-context-facts-about-slave-trade-and-slavery#:~:text=The%20volume%20of%20slaves%20carried,leaving%20Africa%20in%20slave%20ships.
Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave_ship#/media/File:Slave_deck_of_the_Marie_S%C3%A9raphique_rotated.jpg -
British Abolish Slave Trading
In 1807, the British abolish their practice of engaging in slavery. https://www.southwales.ac.uk/courses/ma-history-by-research/3054/5-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the-slave-trade/ -
U.S Population 1/4 of African Descent
So many slaves were being transported into the U.S. that by the year 1825, one-fourth of all people were of African descent. Slaves were being captured, beaten, starved, transported, and forced into a lifetime of slavery by the hundreds. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teaching-resource/historical-context-facts-about-slave-trade-and-slavery#:~:text=The%20volume%20of%20slaves%20carried,leaving%20Africa%20in%20slave%20ships. -
80,000 Africans Captured Per Year
By the time the world saw the year 1830, more than 80,000 Africans are captured and transported for slavery per year. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teaching-resource/historical-context-facts-about-slave-trade-and-slavery#:~:text=The%20volume%20of%20slaves%20carried,leaving%20Africa%20in%20slave%20ships. -
Last American Slave Ship Voyages
In 1858, the last known American slave ship set sail. Aboard a luxury yacht called The Wanderer, was a secret slave deck that held enslaved Africans. https://www.history.com/news/the-last-american-slave-ship
Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderer_%28slave_ship%29#/media/File:USS_Wanderer_(1857).jpg -
The Clotilda Sails Its Final Voyage to America
Those aboard the slave ship The Clotilda are 389,000 of the last slaves to be taken from Africa and brought to America. The remains of this ship were discovered in Alabama in 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/clotilda-the-last-american-slave-ship-found-in-alabama#:~:text=The%20schooner%20Clotilda%E2%80%94the%20last,yearlong%20search%20by%20marine%20archaeologists.
Image: https://www.history.com/news/clotilda-wreck-identified-last-us-slave-ship-alabama -
The Middle Passage Ends
Up until 1865, with the end of the Civil War and abolishment of slavery, the route from Africa to America through the Atlantic Ocean was called the Middle Passage. Packing hundreds of slaves of all ages and both genders, onto ships as tightly as possible was the norm. Conditions were horrible, and many slaves died from the brutality of the trip. Any slave who died was thrown overboard into the ocean. https://www.ushistory.org/us/6b.asp
Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Passage -
10-12 Millions Africans Become Slaves
During the entire time that Africans were captured and forced into slavery, between 10-12 millions people experienced this tragedy. Even more were babies born to enslaved people and became slaves by birth. https://www.britannica.com/topic/transatlantic-slave-trade
Image: https://www.statista.com/chart/19068/trans-atlantic-slave-trade-by-country-region/ -
Last Known Slave Ship Sails
The last known slave ship to sail across the ocean transporting slaves occurred in 1866. This ship transported enslaved Africans from Africa to Cuba. https://www.southwales.ac.uk/courses/ma-history-by-research/3054/5-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the-slave-trade/