Slavery – The Atlantic Crossing

by Understanding Slavery Initiative

The increase in African involvement in the trade from the 16th century onwards was caused by an influx of outside capital, the pre-existing trade being spurred on by the growing demand for Europe's goods: fabrics and utensils, guns and alcohol. There are a number of eye-witness accounts of the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade and the infamous 'Middle Passage', the voyage across the Atlantic that could take as long as two months.