How was slavery in West Africa different from slavery in the Americas?

Forms of slavery varied both in Africa and in the New World. In general, slavery in Africa was not heritable—that is, the children of slaves were free—while in the Americas, children of slave mothers were considered born into slavery.

What was the average life expectancy of slaves in the West Indies?

In British favor they were able to obtain all four of these and in the West Indies the majority of the population quickly became African. These slaves were worked to the bone, literally. Their life expectancy was only four to seven years.

What was life like for slaves in the South?

Life on the fields meant working sunup to sundown six days a week and having food sometimes not suitable for an animal to eat. Plantation slaves lived in small shacks with a dirt floor and little or no furniture. Life on large plantations with a cruel overseer was oftentimes the worst.

Was there slavery in the West Indies?

Africans were forcibly brought to British owned colonies in the Caribbean and sold as slaves to work on plantations. Those engaged in the trade were driven by the huge financial gain to be made, both in the Caribbean and at home in Britain.

How did slavery impact West Africa?

The slave trade had devastating effects in Africa. Economic incentives for warlords and tribes to engage in the slave trade promoted an atmosphere of lawlessness and violence. Depopulation and a continuing fear of captivity made economic and agricultural development almost impossible throughout much of western Africa.

How were slaves obtained in West Africa?

The capture and sale of enslaved Africans Most of the Africans who were enslaved were captured in battles or were kidnapped, though some were sold into slavery for debt or as punishment. The captives were marched to the coast, often enduring long journeys of weeks or even months, shackled to one another.

Why did Southern states oppose slavery?

slavery was an issue of social justice. The southern States, who are dependent on slave labour, were strongly opposed to this because the all parts of South what dependent on slave labour and slave trade which is an main dependent control of South States.

Where did the slaves in the West Indies come from?

In the mid 16th century, enslaved people were trafficked from Africa to the Caribbean by European mercantilists. Originally, white European indentured servants worked alongside enslaved African people in the “New World” (the Americas).

Why were African slaves needed in the Caribbean?

The spread of sugar ‘plantations’ in the Caribbean created a great need for workers. The planters increasingly turned to buying enslaved men, women and children who were brought from Africa.