-
1480
Early trade
The early trade began with the Portuguese, who transported Africans to sugar plantations in Cape Verde and Madeira. The Portuguese dominated the trade for more than 150 years. -
1502
Spanish slave trade
The Spanish brought enslaved Africans to the Caribbean -
Period: 1550 to
The transatlantic slave trade
African people were forcefully removed from their homeland, enslaved and brought to America where they had to work mostly plantation. About 11 Million of the 12,5 Million enslaved Africans survived the middle passage.
Route of the slave trade:
Europe to Africa: textiles and wine
Africa to America: Slaves
America to Europe: Sugar, coffee and other goods -
Period: to
Slave trade by the English and French
The English and French merchants controlled about half the trade.
The largest number of slaves were transported in this timespan. (Nearly 60% of the total trade). -
Methods of capture and transport
Methods:
-purchasing captives from tribal wars
-forceful capturing people
-captives were marched up to 300 miles to the coast (mortality rate during the journey: 10-15%)
-transport over the middle passage:
-overcrowded, unsanitary conditions with intolerable heat and low oxygen, were held below deck
Death rate: 15-25% -
Period: to
Outlawing the slave trade
In the United States the importation of slaves were outlawed in 1808 but persisted illegally until 1861.
Britain: Abolished slavery in 1833 and used its navy to suppress the trade.
Brazil: banned the trade 1850, full emancipation in 1888. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
The decision stated that racial segregation was legal as long as the separate facilities were “equal”. This became known as the “separate but equal” doctrine. The case started when Homer Plessy an African American man refused to sit in a train department for black passengers. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
The decision declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitual, overturning the Plessy vs. Ferguson ruling. The court decided that “separate education facilities are inherently unequal”, recognising the negative effects on black children. -
Desegregation of interstate bus terminals
After a lot of protests and federal pressure the Interstate Commerce Commission issued orders to desegregate interstate bus terminals.
This took affect in November in the same year -
Freedom riders
Freedom riders are a group of civil rights activists, challenging segregation in interstate bus travel across the southern United States. Their goal was to test Supreme Court rulings that declared segregation in transportation unconstitutional.
These were inspired by the sit-ins from Rosa Parks. (Montgomery Bus boycott) -
First freedom ride
A group of 13 activists (7 black, 6 white) left Washington D.C., on buses driving to the southern States. -
Attack on freedom riders
A bus in Anniston was firebombed and the riders were attacked.
In Birmingham riders were beaten by members of the Ku Klux Klan -
Mob attack
A mob attacked the riders when they arrived in the South -
Arrests
Riders were arrested for using white-only facilities.
That created a wave of protests and hundreds of additional freedom riders joined -
Period: to
Obama presidency
Limited military graded weapons for the police.
More investigation in police departments. -
Black Lives Matter trend started after the death of Trayvon Martin
Martin was shot dead after stealing cigarettes. It took 44 days and a massive online shitstorm until the shooter (police officer) was arrested. -
Official founding of the Black Lived Matter Movement
In response to the Martin death the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter circulated on the internet. In addition, the movement was officially founded. -
Period: to
Trump presidency
Race issues in the USA remain. Black employees increase. -
Ahmand Arbery death
Ahmand Arbery was shot by a police officer who was later arrested. -
Breonna Taylor death
Breonna Taylor was shot to death which caused many protests but no one was arrested. -
George Floyd was killed
The jobless George Floyd was suspected using a fake 20 dollar bill and later on killed by a police officer kneeling on this neck. -
Rayshard Brooks death
Police officers tried to arrest Brooks after sleeping dunk in his car at a drive in stand. He fled the scene stealing a teaser of one of the officers and using it against them.
The officers were charged for murder.