Triangular trade

The common route established by European Powers

Triangular trade was a trans-Atlantic trade route used by European powers that had three parts or "sides" to the "triangle": From Europe to Africa to transport finished goods for trade, from Africa to the Americas to transport slaves - known as the Middle Passage, and lastly the Americas to Europe to transport raw materials. The most common destination for slave traffic were islands in the Caribbean and Portuguese Brazil, and for several hundred years slavery financed in part the growth of European empires.

Background

The use of maritime winds in a sweeping pattern was first developed by the Portuguese in the 16th century, which they called volta do mar, the use of African slave labor was also established by the Crown of Portugal.

It is believed that the trip from Africa to the Caribbean took between 6 to 12 weeks. Along the way, horrible conditions were present on-board slave-trading vessels, leaving more than 1 in 10 captives dead before they arrived at their plantation destinations.

Statistics

According to research provided by Emory University, an estimated 12.5 million slaves were transported from Africa to colonies in North and South America. The top five kingdoms for trafficking in slaves from Africa were Portugal, Great Britain, France, Spain, and the Netherlands.

An example of revisionist imagery. American involvement in this trade with respect to slaves was much less than is often stated

Spain	Portugal	Great Britain	Netherlands	U.S.A.	France	Denmark
1,061,524	5,848,266	3,259,441	554,336	305,326	1,381,404	111,040

Controversy

It is disputed whether this trade really occurred in a "triangle", and there are good reasons to be skeptical. For example, there was no significant market in Africa for finished goods. The term "triangular trade" itself was not used contemporaneously with the trade.

Another point of controversy is the excessively-sized portrayal for which America has been placed throughout historical texts compared to its actual role in the trade. America was not even founded until 1776, yet somehow slave trading that began in the 15th century is routinely aimed solely at the United States instead of the kings who demanded the initiation and continuance of the practice.

See also

• African slave trade
• Triangular trade in the 21st century
• Trans-Atlantic slave trade

External links

• Slave Voyages, documents