SLAVE TRANSPORTATION FROM AFRICA TO AMERICA 1523-1866
JUNE 12:
There is a
lot of talk these days about racism and the slave trade centuries ago. About 12 ½ million Africans were against
their will taken to America in the period 1523 – 1866. They are the ancestors of the black Americans
today.
More or less
all European countries took part in this activity, at least all with a
coastline and ships.
This was in
particular the so-called triangle trade.
The ships went off from Europe with guns, gunpowder, etc. to Africa,
esp. West Africa. Here they sold the
guns and got Africans instead. They had
been caught by the local African authorities and forced to go on board the
ships. Then the ships continued 2-3
months westwards and arrived in America.
Here they sold the African slaves and got rum, sugar and spices in return. With that on board they sailed back to Europe
to sell it.
Denmark was
no exception. Its ships transported 111.000 African slaves from West Africa to
the Danish West Indian Islands ( now the US Virgin islands ) in the period 1660
to 1803.
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