According to historical estimates, approximately 12.5 million Africans were captured and transported through the transatlantic slave trade over four centuries (from the mid-15th century to the 19th century) to the Americas. About 12.5 percent of them died aboard ships during the journey, roughly 1.5 million people. The transatlantic slave trade reached its peak in the 18th century, during which approximately 6 million Africans were kidnapped, enslaved, and transported.
The English slave trade had already reached its height before the American Revolutionary War in 1776. Some countries were particularly active in the buying and selling of enslaved people, such as Portugal, which was then colonizing Brazil and relied heavily on forced labor for agriculture and mining across its vast territories. Portugal accounted for about 40 percent of the total number, or roughly 4.5 million people. Britain accounted for approximately 2.5 million enslaved people, in addition to France, Spain, Denmark, and the Netherlands, which maintained around 15 trading posts along the West African coast.
African tribal chiefs were the most active in kidnapping and selling of enslaved people, as Europeans were often reluctant to venture into dense and difficult terrain to carry out such operations. Transactions were frequently conducted in exchange for various goods, particularly weapons, which were used to strengthen tribal power against rival groups. The African tribes most affected included the Ashanti (present-day Ghana), the Yoruba (presentday Nigeria), the Imbangala (present-day Angola), and the Nyamwezi (present-day Tanzania). The United States acquired between 300,000 and 500,000 enslaved people, as it had no further need compared to other colonies. The Brazilian economy, by contrast, was heavily dependent on slavery for sugarcane cultivation as well as gold and diamond mining. The surge in demand for coffee in the 1830s led to a corresponding increase in the demand for enslaved labor.
In North America, slavery was primarily concentrated in cotton and tobacco plantations in the southern states. The United States did not prohibit the importation of enslaved people until 1808, more than 200 years after the transatlantic slave trade began. Denmark was the first country to abolish the transatlantic slave trade in 1792. However, Britain played a major role in enforcing its end. In 1807, its Parliament passed a complete ban on the slave trade throughout the empire.
The United States followed a year later, and Canada followed in 1833. Britain used its navy to combat the slave trade, deploying its massive fleet to monitor, inspect, and seize ships, freeing enslaved people on board, who at one point numbered over 50,000. Britain also pressured other nations to sign treaties banning the slave trade, which eventually extended to most European countries. Religious motivations played a role in Britain’s decision, driven by pressure from the evangelical movement and prominent abolitionists. Changing economic conditions and the declining importance of some colonies also played a role.
Note: The repeated heinous attacks on Kuwait by the Iranian regime are condemned and rejected, and must not weaken our resolve. Any concession will be the beginning of continued blackmail, and this is unacceptable. We must continue to be flexible and constructive, repair the damage, and restore operations as quickly as possible.
By Ahmad alsarraf
email: [email protected]
email: [email protected]
